Only 3% of Utah campaign money came from constituents, 92% from special interests

By LEE DAVIDSON


Utah voters elected the 104 members of the 2017 Legislature, but special-interest groups supplied 92 percent of the campaign money they raised last year.

A mere 3 percent of the total donated came from regular people who live in the district of the member benefiting, according to analysis of campaign financial disclosures by The Salt Lake Tribune.

"If that isn't an indictment of our current system, I don't know what is," says Kim Burningham, a former member of the Legislature and past chairman of Utahns for Ethical Government. "It says clearly that there's a lot of allegiance owed to special interests, and we need to change that."

As the Legislature convenes Monday, such statistics again raise questions of what donors receive for their money. Critics such as Burningham say it buys access and influence, but members say they listen to all sides of issues and are not unduly swayed by special-interest money.

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