Show Us the Money

Republican Karianne Lisonbee has raised $177,920 for her bid to represent Utah's 2nd Congressional District, according to the latest FEC campaign finance disclosure. The challenger's total puts her near the middle of the pack in a crowded field of Utah congressional candidates in 2026, well behind the district's top fundraiser but ahead of several other contenders across the state.

Nearly all of Lisonbee's fundraising came from individual donors. Her campaign committee, Friends of Karianne Lisonbee, reported $168,578 in individual contributions, about 95% of her total haul.

She took out a $4,000 candidate loan during the cycle. That loan has since been fully repaid. She carries no debt.

After spending $118,365, the campaign held $59,556 in cash on hand as of June 3.

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PAC and Organizational Contributors

PACs and other political committees added $5,042 to Lisonbee's total. That's a small slice of her overall receipts, roughly three cents of every dollar raised.

Her campaign received no contributions from political party committees.

It's worth noting that $1,042 in committee contributions were refunded during the cycle, per FEC records.

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State Comparison

Lisonbee's $177,920 ranks 9th among the 26 Utah House candidates who filed with the FEC in the 2026 cycle. Her total represents less than 0.2% of the $100.6 million raised across all federal candidates in Utah this cycle.

The top three fundraisers in the state are not close:

  • Blake Moore (R, District 2): $2,286,492, the clear leader in Blake Moore fundraising, with $1.95 million still in the bank
  • Ben McAdams (D, District 1): $1,916,636
  • Celeste Maloy (R, District 3): $1,177,361

Moore is Lisonbee's own district incumbent. He has outraised her by more than 12 to 1 and holds roughly 33 times her cash on hand.

Republicans have raised more overall despite fielding fewer candidates. Nine GOP candidates combined for $5.36 million. Fifteen Democratic candidates raised $3.47 million combined.

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Incumbents vs. Challengers

Incumbents are dominating Utah District 2 election funding, and House campaign finance reports statewide tell a similar story.

The four incumbents in the FEC data (Moore, Maloy, Mike Kennedy, and Burgess Owens) each raised at least $735,000. The highest-raising challenger in the state, Democrat Ben McAdams, is the notable exception at $1.9 million. But McAdams is a former congressman running to reclaim a seat, giving him a built-in fundraising network most challengers lack.

Among true first-time challengers and open-seat candidates, fundraising drops sharply. Lisonbee's $177,920 is actually one of the stronger totals in that group. Most challengers in the state raised well under $100,000, and several raised less than $25,000.

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*Source: Federal Election Commission (FEC), data current as of June 3, 2026.*

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