Rep. Phil Lyman’s opponent, Davina Smith — the first Native American woman to run for state public office — out-fundraised the Republican legislator by nearly $22,000.
According to the latest campaign finance report, Smith has raised about $33,775.21 in cash to Lyman’s $11,774.60 in the first quarter of 2022. Last year, Smith, a Democrat, raised $9,300 in cash, and Lyman raised about $2,450.
Both Smith and Lyman are running unopposed in their parties’ primary elections and will face each other at this year’s general election on Nov. 8.
Earlier this spring, Lyman tried to disqualify Smith from the ballot for allegedly not living in the district. Lyman cited Smith’s consulting business, Haseya Native Initiatives, LLC, as being registered in Salt Lake City. Smith proved her residency in Blanding with bank statements, pay stubs and other evidence. Ultimately, the state election officials denied Lyman’s challenge.
Although Lyman currently holds a seat representing House District 73 at the Legislature, he and Smith, a Navajo (Diné) from Oljato, are vying to represent the newly drawn House District 69.
The district is a vast territory that includes most of Utah’s “Mighty Five” national parks, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, rural communities of the Navajo Nation, as well as coal, oil and gas, and uranium mining towns across San Juan, Grand, Kane, Garfield and Wayne counties and parts of Emery county.
(Zak Podmore | The Salt Lake Tribune) Davina Smith holds a campaign sign in Monument Valley at an event announcing she'll be running for the Utah House of Representatives. Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021.
Smith, who is canvassing in her district, said that more and more voters in the district are becoming familiar with her campaign despite Lyman’s effort to disqualify her.
“I do not plan on going anywhere,” Smith said. “I am going to see this through because for far too long he’s neglected his district and constituents.”
Smith, who lives in the same town as Lyman, says that if she runs into him while campaigning, “I am going to treat him just as I treat everyone else.”
Molly Gurney, campaign manager for Smith, said the average contribution to the campaign is about $83. Most of these donors are Utahns living on the Wasatch Front.
Since the Utah Democratic Convention on April 23, Smith’s campaign has raised an additional $25,000 for a total of $58,000, Gurney said.
Meanwhile, Lyman says he is not too concerned about being outraised by Smith because he is counting on voters in the district to know who he is. In fact, he said, his work over the years as a state lawmaker is his campaign.
“I am a good fundraiser for my opponents,” Lyman said. “I bring up the money. So, if somebody wants to raise money, all they have to do is run against Phil Lyman.”
Lyman said that he does not ask his voters for money, mostly because they’re hardworking people doing their best to make a living. His campaign is also self-finance with no campaign manager, he said.
“People in the district know me and there’s a lot you can do without the help of money,” the lawmaker said. “I doubt that I’m going to get any Democrats voting for me or many environmentalists voting for me. That’s not my base and that’s not who I legislate to.”
