Utah Republican big shots, including GOP Gov. Gary Herbert, are being lined up to hold fundraisers for the financially beleaguered party, new party chair Rob Anderson tells UtahPolicy.
Former GOP state chair James Evans – who was defeated in the first round of voting in last month’s state GOP convention – tells UtahPolicy that he has lined up cash donors who will match up to $15,000, if Rob Anderson, the new state party chair, can raise that much on or before the June 17 special 3rd Congressional District delegation vote.
Anderson is in a tough spot, says Evens – Anderson promised if elected chair he could bring back big pro-SB54 party donors who have abandoned the state party – with the party now $450,000 in debt.
Anderson hopes he can reach that $15,000 goal and is “strongly suggesting” that the 1,000 3rd District delegates contribute $20 each on June 17.
That would raise $20,000 and make the Evans $15,000 match.
“Twenty dollars, that’s like a ticket to a Saturday night movie and popcorn,” Anderson told UtahPolicy on Monday.
Anderson said the GOP needs three groups to come together and help the party financially:
- The traditional big donors who stopped giving when the party decided two years ago to sue the state over SB54.
- The big donors who have continued to support the party financially, but are worn out from giving over the last two-and-a-half years of the lawsuit.
- And the party’s more than 200,000 rank-and-file members, who have not stepped up to give a little cash each as the party fell on hard financial times.
“We need all three,” said Anderson. “And I believe we can get them all going” toward working out a financial path for the party.
Anderson says he believes – with Evans help (House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper is also helping Evans and Anderson) – that enough money can be raised to keep the party going until September.
That is when the newly-installed, 180-member State Central Committee will meet for the first time.
But the financial hole is there – and growing.
Anderson said U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who has financially bailed out the party before, offered to give $20,000.
That was great, said Anderson.
But then Anderson discovered that the party bounced $30,000 in checks holding its recent state organizing convention at the South Towne Convention Center.
So instead of finding $20,000 in operating capital, Anderson found he’s $14,000 more in the red – all on the same day.
“This is the reality we are in, but we will get out of it,” said Anderson.
