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SALT LAKE CITY — Republican Becky Edwards leads all candidates in the 2nd Congressional District special election in fundraising and cash on hand, according to mandatory filing reports.
Edwards' campaign committee garnered more than $200,000 in individual contributions between April 1 and June 30 and had nearly $300,000 on hand at the end of the second quarter. The Federal Election Commission required all candidates to submit quarterly reports on Saturday.
"I'm proud of the support we've seen," Edwards, a former state legislator, said in a statement Monday. "Voters young and old and from all walks of life are coming out in support of the campaign both by volunteering, and importantly, by donating. It speaks to the strong desire that Utahns in CD2 have to elect a principled fiscal conservative who can hit the ground running on day one and deliver real results for the state of Utah."
Rep. Chris Stewart's announcement that he would step down from his seat in September has led to an expedited election process, and state lawmakers convened a special session to delay this fall's election by two weeks in order to accommodate holding the special election by the end of the year.
As a Senate candidate in Utah last year, Edwards has a higher name recognition than some candidates and likely benefited in terms of organization and fundraising. Edwards also loaned her campaign $100,000, and has so far spent just shy of $23,000 on campaign costs.
Longtime Republican National Committee member Bruce Hough, Stewart's former chief legal counsel Celeste Maloy, and Edwards are competing in a GOP primary to be held on Sept. 5.
Hough has nearly $35,000 on hand, after bringing in $59,000 in contributions, loaning himself more than $200,000 and spending $227,000 on campaign costs.
Maloy, who won the Republican Party convention last month, has raised $50,000 from individual donors, $22,000 from another committee and has $41,000 on hand.
Former Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes, a Republican, raised more than $100,000 from individual donors, but refunded $44,000 after he lost the GOP convention and was eliminated from the race.
Whoever emerges from the Republican primary will face state Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, in November.
Riebe, who does not have a primary opponent after winning the Democratic convention, has raised nearly $3,000, and spent only $390.
