When Rep.-elect Ben McAdams, D-Utah, finally won his close congressional race after two long weeks of vote counting, his campaign staff and consultants had about 80,000 extra reasons to cheer.
He promised them just over a combined $80,000 in bonuses if he won, according to campaign financial disclosure forms filed this week. They are listed as owed, but not yet paid. McAdams reports about $76,000 in cash in the bank but will easily raise more as a member of Congress for future campaigns.
The bonuses “are something that was negotiated in interviews before they joined the campaign,” said McAdams spokeswoman Alyson Heyrend, who herself earned what is listed as a $4,162 “win bonus.”
“It gives people an added incentive to work really hard,” she said.
The biggest bonus — $45,000 — is going to the Washington, D.C., firm of Kully Struble, which Heyrend said handled TV and digital advertising.
Another $7,500 is going to Washington-based HM&CO, a consulting firm, Heyrend said.
Among local staffers, disclosures show $10,270 is going to campaign manager Andrew Roberts (but forms say that includes some salary owed him); $6,390 to Jessica Fredrickson, who worked on fundraising; $5,000 to Carolyn Roth, who handled accounting; $3,752 to Alyssa Baker; $1,013 to Wendy Gourley; and $486 to Brittani Jay, all of whom worked on fundraising, Heyrend said.
The new post-election reports — which cover the period between Oct. 18 and Nov. 26 — show that both McAdams and Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, received and spent a flood of last-minute money, most of it coming from out of state.
(Scott G. Winterton | Deseret News, pool photo) Congresswoman Mia Love and Salt Lake County mayor Ben McAdams shake hands as they take part in a debate at the Gail Miller Conference Center at Salt Lake Community College in Sandy as the two battle for Utah's 4th Congressional District on Monday, Oct. 15, 2018.
Love reported receiving $875,000 in the three weeks before the Nov. 6 election or after it, compared to $471,000 for McAdams. Among larger donations itemized in that period, only 6.7 percent of Love’s contributions came from Utah individuals and political action committees — compared to 46.5 percent for McAdams.
Among those late donations to McAdams was $2,700, the maximum allowed for the general election, from former Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, who beat Love in 2012 by 768 votes. McAdams defeated her this year by 694 votes.
In that late period leading up to the election and just after, Love spent $1.12 million — nearly double the $629,200 spent by McAdams.
For the entire election cycle, Love raised $5.5 million and spent $5.47 million — and ended with $101,000 in cash in the bank. McAdams raised $3.32 million and spent $3.22 million.
Counting money spent by outside groups to support or oppose the pair, the 4th District race cost more than $10 million this year.
