LOGAN – If Democratic challenger Peter Crosby of Providence actually succeeds in unseating incumbent U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-1st Dist.) in the race for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District on Nov. 3, it will be a David vs. Goliath victory for the records books.
That’s true especially in terms of campaign financing.
Since beginning his run for Congress late in 2025, Crosby has consistently pledged to eschew money from out-of-state donors and corporate political action committees, with the Democrat bragging in numerous town hall gatherings that his campaign has never taken a dime from those sources.
“Does that put us at a fund-raising disadvantage with Blake Moore who has raised millions from corporate PACs?” he has asked rhetorically. “Sure. But, at the end of the day, I know what matters is voters, not dollars.”
Crosby has obviously put his money — or lack thereof — where his mouth is.
As of mid-October, Crosby’s grass roots campaign had raised nearly $154,000, with that total amount consisting of $62,000 from small donations and $92,000 from large contributors.
Moore has meanwhile raised nearly $2.8 million, according to his mid-October campaign finance disclosure report. That war chest total is the result of $1.1 million in contributions from large donors and about $1.7 million from political action committees and political party support. Moore’s re-election bid has only collected some $6,000 from small donors.
Their October campaign disclosure reports also indicated that Moore has out-spent his challenger by more than 25 times.
Small wonder that Crosby has railed so consistently throughout his campaign against dark money in politics.
“(Peter) has called for banning congressional stock trading and getting corporate dark money out of politics,” according to Brian King, the chair of the Utah Democratic Party.
“Those are reforms,” King explained in an Oct. 14 press conference on the steps of the Utah Capitol, “designed to strengthen public trust and keep the focus on serving the public rather than enriching those in power or giving wealthy donors outsized influence.”
A 2010 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission opened the floodgates of dark money from corporations that influence American elections.
Crosby has called that ruling a mistake and promises to support a constitutional amendment to overturn it if elected to Congress.
Crosby is a first-generation college graduate who earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees in political science from Utah State University.
The candidate launched his campaign without a formal platform in July of 2025, instead relying on face-to-face meetings with northern Utahns in town halls throughout the 2nd District to identify their concerns.
Voters will choose whether to support Crosby or Moore on Election Day, which is slated for Nov. 3.