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Washington • State Rep. Carl Wimmer has amassed a campaign chest of nearly $122,000 in his first few months of fundraising toward winning a congressional seat, while a potential rival, state Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, has so far largely self-funded his potential bid, throwing in $62,000 of his own money.

Wimmer, who has been recognized by the National Republican Congressional Committee as a rising star, took in just more than $150,000 this year and has spent about $30,000, according to his filing this weekend with the Federal Elections Commission.

Wimmer says he's positioning himself to have more than a quarter-million dollars before the April GOP convention.

"Having over 400 individual donors and having raised over $150,000 from individuals, not from self-funding or any one individual donor, it speaks to the amount of support we have statewide," Wimmer said. "We are going full steam ahead. I have no intention of slowing down at this point."

Wimmer's total also includes donations he accepted for a potential primary fight and for the general election, should he make it that far. The Herriman Republican says the vast majority of donations are for his convention bid.

Wimmer and Sandstrom could end up competing for Utah's new 4th congressional district, though it's unclear how the district will be drawn until lawmakers finish carving up the state.

Sandstrom, who has not officially said he's running for Congress, forked over nearly $62,000 of his own money and grabbed individual donations totaling $3,400. He spent $14,169, leaving his potential campaign with $51,100 on hand. Sandstrom did not return calls seeking comment.

On the Democratic front, Rep. Jim Matheson is sitting on more than a half-million-dollar campaign account after raising $164,000 in the past three months, his finance report shows. He spent $49,000 in that time period.

GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz actually spent more than he took in during the last quarter, mainly thanks to the purchase of a $36,100 Ford Edge for his campaign. Chaffetz's campaign already owns one vehicle, a Ford F-150, which he says he uses to haul a trailer and for other campaign purposes.

The 3rd District representative says with mileage reimbursement at 55 cents a mile, it was getting expensive to pay for travel across the state.

"We have a lot of miles to cover each week," Chaffetz said. "It makes sense long term to own a campaign vehicle."

Sen. Mike Lee also spent more than he took in during the quarter, raising $18,600 but spending $48,500. The Utah Republican reported having $14,000 cash on hand.

That's a pittance compared to Utah's senior senator, Orrin Hatch, who has $4 million in the bank for what he expects to be a tough re-election test.

The senator also reported paying 32 campaign workers, a large staff for a Utah campaign this early in the cycle.

Republican Rep. Rob Bishop, who is not expected to have a convention or primary challenger, raised about $28,000 in the third quarter and spent only $3,700, leaving him with $69,000 in his campaign fund.

tburr@sltrib.com Campaign finances

Candidates for Congress who have announced so far detailed their campaign finances Saturday for the last three months of fundraising.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah •

Raised: $117,604

Spent: $126,260

Cash: $215,033

Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah •

Raised: $164,424

Spent: $48,903

Cash: $518,400

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah •

Raised: $27,850

Spent: $3,738

Cash: 69,001

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah •

Raised: $18,595

Spent: $48,539

Cash: $14,048

Debt: $14,627

State Rep. Carl Wimmer •

Raised: $150,363

Spent: $30,092

Cash: $121,931

Debt: $1,660

State Rep. Stephen Sandstrom •

Raised: $3,400

Spent: $14,169

Cash: $51,089

Debt: $61,858*

*Owed to himself in loans to the campaign.