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SALT LAKE CITY — Democratic gubernatorial challenger Brian King outraised Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox in the first few months of 2024.
King, a state lawmaker representing Salt Lake City, received nearly $171,000 in campaign contributions between Jan. 1 and April 17, according to his pre-state convention report. Cox netted just over $155,300, his filing shows.
Neither candidate was able to engage in fundraising efforts during the state legislative session from Jan. 16 to March 1. Cox's fundraising restriction was extended for an additional 20 days during the bill-signing period, meaning he was unable to fundraise for 65 of the 107 days before the filing deadline.
How much money have King and Cox raised overall?
The first-quarter donations bring King's election-cycle total to over $215,200 and Cox's to over $1,680,600. King's campaign has spent over $126,200 and has $89,000 left over. Cox has spent nearly $700,000 — much of that on donations to other candidates — with more than $986,200 cash still on hand.
Despite Cox entering the spring with 11 times more money, King said his campaign's strong showing in the first part of 2024, especially its high number of individual supporters, is a sign his message, "For the Better," is resonating among "a broad coalition being built across the state."
"Utahns of all backgrounds are joining our campaign because they don't feel like they have a political home, and they're looking for a common sense leader who will put results over rhetoric — for the better," King, the state's former House minority leader, told the Deseret News in a statement.
In 2024, King has received contributions from nearly 1,300 individual people or organizations for an average donation of $132, his campaign said in a press release. King received no contributions of more than $5,000.
"I'm proud that our fundraising numbers reflect the amazing support we've seen across the state and I'm ready to keep working to reach every single voter," King said.
In the last 3½ months, Cox's campaign received contributions from 74 individual people or organizations with an average donation size of nearly $2,100. Cox's largest donations included $25,000 from Nomi Health; $15,000 from the WCF Mutual Insurance Association; over $10,400 from Phil Cox; $10,000 from the Utah Association of Realtors; $10,000 from AshBritt, a Florida-based disaster response contractor; and $10,000 from RAI Services Company, a manufacturing company from North Carolina.
Cox's campaign spokesperson, Matt Lusty, said the governor's support across the state speaks for itself despite having a longer fundraising blackout period than King.
"The governor is legally prohibited from fundraising during almost the entire first quarter of the year. Recent third-party poll numbers from Morning Consult continue to show Gov. Cox in a strong position," Lusty told the Deseret News in a statement.
Is Cox popular in Utah?
On Monday, the polling firm Morning Consult released its latest gubernatorial approval ratings. Cox's overall popularity remained constant over the last year, with a net approval rating of around 24%. In the first three months of 2024, 55% of Utah voters said they approved of Cox, 31% said they disapproved and 14% said they didn't know.
Among Republicans, Cox received a 69% approval rating, with 19% disapproving and 12% feeling unsure. Cox's consistent showing among Republicans was not replicated among Democrats. In the first quarter of 2024, Democratic net approval of Cox fell by 32 percentage points, the poll found. A quarter of Utah Democrats said they approved of Cox, 64% said they did not and 11% said they didn't know.
This drop in Democratic support coincided with the 2024 legislative session. During this time, Cox praised lawmakers for requiring public institutions to develop alternative programs to replace certain diversity, equity and inclusion practices. He also signed into law high-profile bills dealing with housing affordability, bathroom privacy, energy independence and federal overreach.
"The governor is proud of his record leading the best-managed state in the nation by delivering the largest tax cut in Utah history, protecting the sanctity of life, and standing with Texas in their efforts to defend our southern border," Lusty said.
Cox will confront his Republican challengers in the state GOP nominating convention on April 27. If two candidates receive more than 40% of the delegate vote, they will appear on the June 25 primary ballot. The Republican nominee will then face off against King in the general election on Nov. 5.
