SD-11: Buss vs. Benson | The Weber County Hive

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Five Things the Records Show

IN PLAIN WORDSTwo people are on the ballot for this state Senate seat. They have raised almost the same amount of cash. Who gave it is very different.

Buss reports $35,803.36 in cash and $12,894.06 in in-kind help. The Forward Party of Utah gave $25,999 in cash (72.6% of her cash) and $7,628.06 in in-kind help, including $6,446.51 listed only as “Data.” Her campaign spent $567.51 through the Primary Report.
Benson reports $35,900 raised and $18,990.92 spent through the Primary Report. About 90% of his money came in 15 checks from PACs, businesses and campaign committees, including $5,000 from Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore’s campaign and $3,000 from the Doers Network. Individuals gave $3,550.
Benson files as “David Benson.” His disclosure form is signed “David Brooks Benson,” and his report lists a $4,451.50 travel payment to “Brooks Benson.” The Doers Network’s $3,000 to “David Benson,” which this site’s Doers file listed without a race, is this campaign.
None of the six bills Buss sponsored in 2026 passed. Four bills she floor-sponsored or co-sponsored were signed, including a firefighter cancer fund and higher nicotine taxes. She took office Dec. 17, 2025, weeks before the session.
Both candidates say growth should pay its own way. Buss has called for impact fees “that reflect the real cost development places on our strained infrastructure.” Benson’s site says impact fees “cover a fraction” of the cost and that AI data centers are projected to need far more power. In the sources read, only Benson addresses data centers directly.

OCT 21, 2025

Sen. Daniel Thatcher resigns

DEC 12

Forward Party vote picks Buss

DEC 17

Buss takes office, appointed by Gov. Cox

JAN–MAR 2026

Session: 6 Buss bills, none pass

SPRING

Benson wins GOP convention, 73.1%

SEPT 1

Democrat MacKenzie Miller withdraws

SEPT 18

Forward Party gives Buss $15,000

OCT 20–30

Early voting

NOV 3

General election

BUSS’S MONEY

Mostly From Her Own Party

IN PLAIN WORDSThe Forward Party of Utah paid for most of Buss’s campaign, in cash and in services. Many small gifts came from other states.

Her DEX export (Convention and Primary reports) plus her itemized contributions for 6/21–9/21/26. In-kind values are as she reported them. Spending after the Primary Report is not in hand.

$35,803

CASH RAISED

Forward Party of Utah — $25,999 in 3 checks (72.6%)
Everyone else — $9,804.36 (27.4%)

Forward Party of Utah, cash (1/13, 6/9, 9/18)$25,999

Forward Party of Utah, in-kind (“Data,” website, signs, door hangers)$7,628

Daryl Acumen (Draper), in-kind “Software and data”$4,000

“Governor Christine Todd Whitman” (Oldwick, N.J.)$1,500

Wayne Woodfield (Lehi), in-kind canvassing software$1,200

Tavan Pechet (Kirkland, Wash.)$1,030

Andrew Yang (New York) · Local 222 (West Valley City)$750 each

Buss vs. Benson, money in by period

Cash only. Buss’s in-kind help ($12,894.06) is not in these bars. Her last period runs to 9/21; his runs to 8/7.

Every Buss contribution, 1/13–9/21/26 (71 entries)

Date	Contributor (as filed)	City	Report	Note	Amount
1/13/2026	Forward Party of Utah	Draper, UT	Convention		$999.00
4/11/2026	Forward Party of Utah	Draper, UT	Primary	In-kind: campaign website support	$280.00
4/11/2026	Emily Buss	Eagle Mountain, UT	Primary		$1.03
4/15/2026	Alice Smith	Interlochen, MI	Primary		$51.50
4/18/2026	Forward Party of Utah	Draper, UT	Primary	In-kind: Data	$6,446.51
4/22/2026	Laura Johnson	Ogden, UT	Primary		$51.50
5/4/2026	Colin Smith	Salt Lake City, UT	Primary		$51.50
5/18/2026	Wayne Woodfield	Lehi, UT	Primary	In-kind: Proprietary canvasing software platform and hosting.	$1,200.00
5/19/2026	June Call	Elk Ridge, UT	Primary		$103.00
5/19/2026	Melissa Barnum	Saratoga Springs, UT	Primary		$50.00
5/19/2026	Phil Boileau	Salt Lake City, UT	Primary		$103.00
5/21/2026	Chris Scott	Magna, UT	Primary		$51.50
5/23/2026	Tamara Sasser	Eagle Mountain, UT	Primary		$25.75
5/27/2026	Emily Buss	Eagle Mountain, UT	Primary	In-kind: candy for parade	$66.00
6/9/2026	Forward Party of Utah	Draper, UT	Primary		$10,000.00
6/21/2026	Chris Scott	Magna, UT	6/21–9/21		$51.50
7/5/2026	Mark Rubin	Hideout, UT	6/21–9/21		$50.00
7/14/2026	David Hinckley	Orem, UT	6/21–9/21		$100.00
7/21/2026	Chris Scott	Magna, UT	6/21–9/21		$51.50
7/23/2026	Kevin Volk	Tucson, AZ	6/21–9/21		$103.00
7/24/2026	Jason Palmer	Baltimore, MD	6/21–9/21		$500.00
8/4/2026	Ari Levenbaum	Scottsdale, AZ	6/21–9/21		$257.50
8/10/2026	Alex Washburn	Eagle Mountain, UT	6/21–9/21		$25.75
8/10/2026	Julie Varner	Brighton, CO	6/21–9/21		$51.50
8/10/2026	Natalie Weidner & Cedric de Chermont	Eagle Mountain, UT	6/21–9/21		$100.00
8/11/2026	Andrew Yang	New York, NY	6/21–9/21		$750.00
8/11/2026	Angela Van Wagoner	South Jordan, UT	6/21–9/21		$25.75
8/11/2026	Calvin Neal	Saratoga Springs, UT	6/21–9/21		$25.75
8/11/2026	Jennifer Stout	Saratoga Springs, UT	6/21–9/21		$50.00
8/11/2026	Daniel Laub	Eagle Mountain, UT	6/21–9/21		$100.00
8/11/2026	Carly Correa	Tucson, AZ	6/21–9/21		$50.00
8/11/2026	Kathi Wotal	Palatine, IL	6/21–9/21		$103.00
8/11/2026	Forward Party of Utah	Draper, UT	6/21–9/21	In-kind: signs	$750.00
8/11/2026	Julie Santa Cruz	Midvale, UT	6/21–9/21		$50.00
8/11/2026	Philip Titus	North Salt Lake, UT	6/21–9/21		$103.00
8/12/2026	Jennifer Koftinow	South Jordan, UT	6/21–9/21		$206.00
8/12/2026	Paul Pickett	Murray, UT	6/21–9/21		$45.00
8/15/2026	Skyler Rude	Walla Walla, WA	6/21–9/21		$257.50
8/19/2026	Forward Party of Utah	Draper, UT	6/21–9/21	In-kind: door hangers	$151.55
8/21/2026	Chris Scott	Magna, UT	6/21–9/21		$51.50
8/22/2026	Richard Davis	DeLand, FL	6/21–9/21		$103.00
8/24/2026	Daryl Acumen	Draper, UT	6/21–9/21	In-kind: software and data	$4,000.00
9/1/2026	Ashley Erskine	Eagle Mountain, UT	6/21–9/21		$51.50
9/1/2026	Local 222	West Valley City, UT	6/21–9/21		$750.00
9/1/2026	Lyle Bates	Freedom, WY	6/21–9/21		$200.00
9/1/2026	Patrick de Freitas	Salt Lake City, UT	6/21–9/21		$515.00
9/3/2026	Tricia Bunderson	Lehi, UT	6/21–9/21		$51.50
9/3/2026	Kimberly Wagner	Fruit Heights, UT	6/21–9/21		$103.00
9/4/2026	Tavan Pechet	Kirkland, WA	6/21–9/21		$1,030.00
9/5/2026	David Westerby	Saint George, UT	6/21–9/21		$100.00
9/8/2026	Kelli Stephenson	South Jordan, UT	6/21–9/21		$103.00
9/8/2026	Josh Smith	Layton, UT	6/21–9/21		$100.00
9/9/2026	Alice Smith	Interlochen, MI	6/21–9/21		$51.50
9/9/2026	David Susko	San Diego, CA	6/21–9/21		$51.50
9/9/2026	SUSAN HORNE	Salt Lake City, UT	6/21–9/21		$257.50
9/9/2026	Scott Petersen	Tooele, UT	6/21–9/21		$10.30
9/10/2026	Carl Luster	San Diego, CA	6/21–9/21		$257.50
9/10/2026	Laura Del Savio	Redding, CT	6/21–9/21		$10.30
9/11/2026	Deborah Sigman	Salt Lake City, UT	6/21–9/21		$103.00
9/11/2026	John Boyd	Lehi, UT	6/21–9/21		$103.00
9/12/2026	Matthew Coombs	West Jordan, UT	6/21–9/21		$11.33
9/12/2026	Russ & Kelly Sheldon	Forest Grove, OR	6/21–9/21		$66.00
9/12/2026	Teri McCabe	Provo, UT	6/21–9/21		$50.00
9/12/2026	Ashley Gibson	Eagle Mountain, UT	6/21–9/21		$11.00
9/14/2026	Carol Mayefsky	Mountain View, CA	6/21–9/21		$10.30
9/16/2026	Adam Teuscher	Vineyard, UT	6/21–9/21		$20.60
9/17/2026	Governor Christine Todd Whitman	Oldwick, NJ	6/21–9/21		$1,500.00
9/17/2026	Nikki Jepson	Eagle Mountain, UT	6/21–9/21		$20.00
9/18/2026	Forward Party of Utah	Draper, UT	6/21–9/21		$15,000.00
9/19/2026	Julie Jackson	Holladay, UT	6/21–9/21		$515.00
9/21/2026	Chris Scott	Magna, UT	6/21–9/21		$51.50
	Cash total				$35,803.36
	In-kind total				$12,894.06

Every Buss expenditure through the Primary Report (13 entries, $567.51)

Date	Payee (as filed)	Purpose (as filed)	Report	Amount
1/5/2026	Utah County Clerk	Campaign Expense	Convention	$121.68
1/6/2026	GoDaddy	Advertising	Convention	$18.18
1/7/2026	Utah Division of Corporation and Commercial Code	Campaign Expense	Convention	$22.00
2/17/2026	SquareSpace	Advertising	Convention	$237.03
3/12/2026	Maverick	Travel Expenses	Convention	$40.38
3/27/2026	SquareSpace	Advertising	Convention	$18.05
4/27/2026	Google Workspace	Campaign Expense	Primary	$18.05
4/28/2026	Good Party LLC	Campaign Expense	Primary	$10.00
5/4/2026	Good Party LLC	Advertising	Primary	$8.99
5/13/2026	Meta	Advertising	Primary	$12.88
5/27/2026	SquareSpace	Advertising	Primary	$18.05
5/28/2026	Adobe	Campaign Expense	Primary	$32.22
5/28/2026	Good Party LLC	Advertising	Primary	$10.00
	Total			$567.51

Her spending through the Primary Report went mostly to websites, software and filing fees. One entry is $12.88 to Meta, listed as advertising. Her export also shows a $1.03 contribution from herself marked “test” and $66 in-kind for parade candy. Three contribution rows are marked “[DELETED]” with no details.

BENSON’S MONEY

Mostly From PACs, Businesses and Fellow Senators

IN PLAIN WORDSMost of Benson’s money came in large checks from groups, including the campaigns of six Republican senators. He has spent more than half of it, mostly on one consulting firm.

His DEX export (filed as “Benson David,” Convention and Primary reports) plus itemized contributions for 6/24–8/7/26. He reports no in-kind help or loans. Spending after the Primary Report is not in hand.

$35,900

RAISED

Six committees named for sitting GOP senators — $10,750 (29.9%)
PACs, associations and businesses (9 checks) — $21,600 (60.2%)
Individuals (8 entries) — $3,550 (9.9%)

Utah Chamber PAC$7,500

Cullimore For Senate (Draper)$5,000

DAI Managers LLC (Draper)$5,000

Doers Network (Wilmington, Del. address)$3,000

Friends of Chris Wilson Inc (Logan) · Brett Wright (Eagle Mountain)$2,000 each

Utah Association of Realtors$1,500

$1,000 each: Utah Rural Electric PAC, Utah Bankers, UCU PAC, McKell, Fillmore, Sandall$6,000

Lincoln Hill Partners · HF Sinclair PAC (“Dino PAC,” Dallas)$800 each

Where Benson’s money went

Every expenditure on his Convention and Primary reports, by payee, names as filed.

Every Benson contribution, 1/5–8/7/26 (23 entries)

Date	Contributor (as filed)	City	Report	Amount
1/5/2026	Stephen Maquinalaz	Saratoga Springs, UT	Convention	$100.00
2/12/2026	Emily Lockhart	Lehi, UT	Convention	$250.00
2/12/2026	Melissa Clark	Eagle Mountain, UT	Convention	$100.00
2/12/2026	Corbin Whie	South Jordan, UT	Convention	$100.00
3/24/2026	Maryann Christiansen	Herriman, UT	Convention	$250.00
3/24/2026	corey astill	Lehi, UT	Convention	$250.00
4/13/2026	Trent Staggs	Riverton, UT	Convention	$500.00
4/29/2026	Lincoln Hill Partners	Salt Lake, UT	Primary	$800.00
4/29/2026	Utah Rural Electric PAC	South Jordan, UT	Primary	$1,000.00
5/1/2026	Friends of Chris Wilson INC	Logan, UT	Primary	$2,000.00
5/7/2026	Evan Vicker Campaign Fund	Cedar City, UT	Primary	$750.00
5/9/2026	Brett Wright	Eagle Mountain, UT	Primary	$2,000.00
5/26/2026	Utah Banker's Association	Salt Lake City, UT	Primary	$1,000.00
5/26/2026	Committee to elect Mike Mckell	Spanish Fork, UT	Primary	$1,000.00
5/26/2026	UCU Political action Committee	Salt Lake City, UT	Primary	$1,000.00
6/3/2026	Utah Association of Realtors	Sandy, UT	Primary	$1,500.00
6/3/2026	Doers Network	Wilmington, DE	Primary	$3,000.00
6/24/2026	Committee to elect Lincoln Fillmore	South Jordan, UT	6/24–8/7	$1,000.00
7/7/2026	Cullimore For Senate	Draper, UT	6/24–8/7	$5,000.00
7/15/2026	Scott Sandall campaign fund	Tremonton, UT	6/24–8/7	$1,000.00
8/3/2026	Utah Chamber PAC	Salt Lake City, UT	6/24–8/7	$7,500.00
8/4/2026	DAI Managers LLC	Draper, UT	6/24–8/7	$5,000.00
8/7/2026	HF Sinclair Political Action Committee (Dino PAC)	Dallas, TX	6/24–8/7	$800.00
	Total			$35,900.00

Every Benson expenditure through the Primary Report (16 entries)

Date	Payee (as filed)	Purpose (as filed)	Report	Amount
1/2/2026	Utah County Elections Office	Campaign Expense	Convention	$117.73
2/18/2026	Wilkerson Public Affairs	Advertising	Convention	$3,881.55
2/24/2026	signs on the cheap	Advertising	Convention	$1,136.20
2/27/2026	alphagraphics	Advertising	Convention	$208.95
3/13/2026	UTcoGOP	Campaign Expense	Convention	$375.00
3/24/2026	alphagraphics	Advertising	Convention	$135.44
4/3/2026	UT GOP	Campaign Expense	Convention	$300.00
4/10/2026	Papa Johns	Campaign Expense	Convention	$47.48
4/13/2026	Temu	Campaign Expense	Convention	$125.92
4/16/2026	walmart	Campaign Expense	Primary	$222.42
4/16/2026	UCCU	Campaign Expense	Primary	$400.00
4/16/2026	Utah GOP	Campaign Expense	Primary	$200.00
4/17/2026	alphagraphics	Advertising	Primary	$73.54
5/22/2026	Wilkerson Public Affairs	Advertising	Primary	$6,270.55
6/10/2026	Wilkerson Public Affairs	Advertising	Primary	$1,044.64
6/10/2026	Brooks Benson	Travel Expenses	Primary	$4,451.50
	Total			$18,990.92

21 of the 33 rows in his export are marked as amended; the export doesn’t show what changed. Eight contribution rows are marked “[DELETED]” with no details.

BUSS’S 2026 BILLS

Six Sponsored, None Passed; Four She Backed Became Law

IN PLAIN WORDSBuss had one session in office. None of her own bills passed. She also helped carry or co-sponsored other members’ bills, and four of those became law.

From the Legislature’s bill list for Emily Buss, 2026 General Session, and each bill’s introduced or enrolled text on le.utah.gov. “Filed” means the bill did not pass before the session ended. Her votes on other bills were not reviewed. Benson has not held office, so he has no bill record.

The six bills she sponsored (none passed)

Bill	Short title	What it would have done	House sponsor
S.J.R. 17	Resolution Encouraging Innovation in Legislative Analysis and Information Services	Encourage legislative staff to use AI tools, with human oversight.	Ariel Defay
S.B. 189	School District Funding	Create a High Growth District Grant Program; no money was attached.	Tracy Miller
S.B. 247	Road Funding	Set a minimum rack price used in figuring the fuel tax.	Jennifer Dailey-Provost
S.B. 291	Student Transportation	Change who is eligible for school busing, including for hazardous walking routes.	–
S.B. 297	School Social Worker	Align school social worker terms with state licensing (DOPL).	Hayes
S.B. 320	School-based Food Pantry	Exempt food from school pantries from lawful-presence verification.	–

A correction to this site’s earlier notes: a July draft said S.J.R. 17 passed on Feb. 24, 2026. The Legislature’s bill list shows it ended “Senate/ filed,” so it did not pass.

What she says and what she filed: her December 2025 priorities were growth, infrastructure, impact fees and housing, including limits on large investors buying single-family homes. Her filed bills were mostly about schools and road funding. H.B. 541, first-time homebuyer help, was the one housing bill she carried; it stayed in the House. No bill on investor purchases or impact fees appears on her 2026 list.

WHERE THEY STAND

In Their Own Words

IN PLAIN WORDSWhat each candidate says they’ll work on, quoted from their own words. These are their claims, not checked facts.

BUSS (FORWARD)

BENSON (R)

Growth and impact fees: “I will push to restore local control so cities can responsibly manage growth, require timely infrastructure improvements, and fairly charge impact fees that reflect the real cost development places on our strained infrastructure.”

Growth and impact fees: His infrastructure page says impact fees “cover a fraction” of the cost of growth and calls for checking infrastructure capacity before projects are approved.

Housing: policies for families and first-time homebuyers, including limiting large investors from buying single-family homes (as summarized by Eagle Mountain City, Dec. 17, 2025).

Energy and data centers: “AI data centers are projected to consume triple Utah’s current power supply.” He backs Operation Gigawatt, small modular nuclear reactors and natural gas, and competition from municipal power. (His figure; not checked here.)

Approach: “We are in a crisis of distrust and divisive politics. I am committed to common sense solutions that put people over party and people over profits.”

Water: new developments should show they have water before breaking ground.

The district: she has called it “very gerrymandered” (Utah News Dispatch, Sept. 1, 2026).

Other priorities (Utah News Dispatch): cutting waste, lowering taxes, stopping mass surveillance and roads. His site says he won the convention on the first ballot with 95 of 130 votes (73.1%).

How this was read: Buss’s campaign site (emilybussutah.com) could not be opened by this site’s reading tool on Sept. 24, 2026 (the site blocks automated readers), so her quotes come from Eagle Mountain City’s Dec. 17, 2025 article and Utah News Dispatch. No statement by Buss on data centers was found in those sources. That is not the same as saying she has none. Benson’s quotes come from his campaign site’s home, energy, infrastructure and water pages.

THE DISCLOSURE FORMS

What Each Candidate Listed

IN PLAIN WORDSEach candidate filled out the state’s conflict-of-interest form. This is what each one wrote, read from the filed text with the answers filled in.

Item	Buss (Forward)	Benson (R), signed “David Brooks Benson”
Employers	Utah State Senate (state senator). Previous: One Utah Service / Utah State University Salt Lake Center (volunteer manager and capacity-building coordinator)	Above and Beyond Fitness (business owner); Bencer Business Advisors, Orem (business consultant)
Entities owned or led	Birthday Box Foundation (board chair and executive director); Eagle Mountain City Public Library (advisory board); The Wellness Farm Foundation (advisory board, former executive board)	Above and Beyond Fitness; Send It Climbing (owner)
$5,000+ income sources	N/A	Bencer Business Advisors (business consulting)
Stocks of $5,000+	N/A	Send It Climbing; Above and Beyond Fitness
Other boards	N/A	Not listed
Spouse	Joel; employer Qualitas Executive Group (consultant)	CeCelia Benson; Lakeview Academy
Optional: other possible conflicts	No entry	No entry

Worth seeing side by side

Benson’s energy background. The Utah Republican Party’s candidate bio describes 18+ years in technology, operations and energy infrastructure. His form lists no energy employer. The form only covers the current and prior year, so the two don’t conflict.

Buss and Eagle Mountain. She lists an advisory seat on the Eagle Mountain City Public Library board. That is the city where Meta’s data center campus sits (see below). She disclosed the role herself.

Both forms filled in Neither used the optional section

THE CONNECTIONS

Where This Race Meets the Rest of the Docket

IN PLAIN WORDSSeveral of these donors show up in other races this site has covered. A shared donor is a connection, not an accusation.

flowchart LR FP["Forward Party of Utah
$25,999 cash + $7,628 in-kind"] --> EB(["EMILY BUSS
SD-11 (Forward)"]) PD["Patrick de Freitas
$515"] --> EB PD -->|"$500"| JP["Jen Plumb
SD-9, Case 23"] WW["Wayne Woodfield
$1,200 in-kind"] --> EB DN["Doers Network
$3,000"] --> BB(["BROOKS BENSON
SD-11 (R)"]) KC["Cullimore For Senate
$5,000"] --> BB SS["Scott Sandall campaign
$1,000"] --> BB LH["Lincoln Hill Partners
$800"] --> BB CH["Utah Chamber PAC
$7,500"] --> BB SS -.->|"Senate sponsor of H.B. 416,
which Buss co-sponsored"| EB LH -.->|"principal Chase Everton
lobbies for Meta"| META["Meta
Eagle Mountain campus"] style EB fill:#3d0f1c,color:#f4ece6,stroke:#3d0f1c style BB fill:#3d0f1c,color:#f4ece6,stroke:#3d0f1c style FP fill:#fbf3e6,stroke:#d9a441

Solid arrows are money, as filed. Dotted lines are other ties from public records, not money.

DOERS NETWORK FILE

The “David Benson” on the Doers list

This site’s Doers Network file lists “David Benson, $3,000” as paid but not publicly endorsed. Benson’s own report lists the same $3,000 on 6/3/26 from “Doers Network” at a Wilmington, Del. address. That entry now links here.

SEN. KIRK CULLIMORE

$5,000 from the Majority Leader’s campaign

Cullimore For Senate gave Benson $5,000 on 7/7/26, his second-largest check. Cullimore’s committee has also given to other Republican candidates, including Brady Brammer (SD-21). Cullimore is himself a Doers Network recipient and endorsee.

SEN. SCOTT SANDALL · CASE 21

Gave to Benson; sponsored a bill Buss co-sponsored

Sandall’s campaign fund gave Benson $1,000 on 7/15/26. Sandall was also the Senate sponsor of H.B. 416, the firefighter cancer fund Buss co-sponsored. His campaign also gave Tami Tran (SD-6) $1,000.

LINCOLN HILL PARTNERS PAC · THE MEN BEHIND IT

A lobbying firm’s PAC, with a Meta client

Benson’s report lists $800 on 4/29/26 from “Lincoln Hill Partners.” The Lincoln Hill Partners PAC’s own report lists the same $800 to “David Benson” on the same date.
The same PAC report lists $1,000 to Sen. Tamara Tran (SD-6, Case 21).
The firm’s 2021 announcement names Lincoln Shurtz, Casey Hill, Chase Everton and Derek Brown as principals. State lobbyist records list Meta Platforms as a client of Everton since 2017.
Lobbying firms giving to candidates is legal and reported.

FORWARD PARTY OF UTAH

The party that picked her and pays for most of her race

Registered as a political party 2/28/2024. Its registration lists Adam Teuscher (Vineyard) as chair and Philip Boileau as treasurer. Donors under both names appear on Buss’s list; Boileau’s address matches the registration. Other Buss donors share names with 2026 Forward Party candidates, including Wayne Woodfield of Lehi (SD-21, Case file); those matches are by name and city only.

CASE 23 · CONFIRMED BY ADDRESS

A donor to both a Forward senator and a Democrat

Patrick de Freitas of Salt Lake City gave Buss $515 (9/1/26) and Sen. Jen Plumb (D, SD-9) $500. Both entries list the same address.

ENERGY-INDUSTRY PACS

Utility and refinery PACs

Utah Rural Electric PAC gave Benson $1,000 (4/29/26), and HF Sinclair’s PAC (“Dino PAC,” Dallas) gave $800 (8/7/26). Benson’s platform centers on energy supply. Both are listed as filed; this site has no earlier records on either.

UTAH CHAMBER PAC

Benson’s largest check

Utah Chamber PAC gave Benson $7,500 on 8/3/26. It is the Salt Lake Chamber’s PAC, and its reports show it giving to candidates in batches, including to Democrats.

THE RUBRIC

Graded Topic by Topic

IN PLAIN WORDSEach topic gets a grade, A (best) to F (worst), on five questions: Does it check power? Can the public see it? Is it clear who pays? What does it do to air, water and land? Do the people affected get a real say? N/A means the question doesn’t apply.

How to read these: grades judge only what has already happened in the filings as of Sept. 24, 2026. They judge the record, not the person.

1. Buss’s campaign money

Criterion	Grade and reason
Power	AAbout 69% of her total support comes from the party that picked her for the seat. The money, by category (Jan. 13–Sept. 21, 2026, cash and in-kind): individuals $14,253.33 (29.3%); caucus and leadership PACs $0 (0.0%); other organizations $750 (1.5%); party help $33,627.06 (69.1%). Own money: $67.03 (0.1% of everything raised). Own money is stated here, not graded. Power A: 95.0% of the counted money came from individual people. Regraded Oct. 2, 2026 on the Hive's fixed scale; earlier: C. Scale: A = 90% or more of the counted money from individual people; B = 67–89%; C = 34–66%; D = 10–33%; F = under 10%. Counted money is individuals plus caucus and leadership PACs plus other organizations (businesses, trade and union PACs, other candidates' campaigns). Ordinary party help and the candidate's own money are shown but not counted.
Transparency	BEvery entry is itemized with a name and address, and in-kind help is flagged.
Financial accountability	C$10,446.51 of in-kind help is described only as “Data” or “Software and data,” so its value can’t be checked from the filings.
Environmental impact	N/ANot applicable.
Community impact	C15% of her cash is from out of state; district individuals are a small share.

2. Benson’s campaign money

Criterion	Grade and reason
Power	FAbout 90% comes from PACs, businesses and six sitting senators’ committees, including a lobbying firm and a Delaware-addressed network. The money, by category (Jan. 5–Aug. 7, 2026): individuals $3,550 (9.9%); caucus and leadership PACs $0 (0.0%); other organizations $32,350 (90.1%); party help $0 (0.0%). Own money: none reported. Own money is stated here, not graded. Power F: 9.9% of the counted money came from individual people. Regraded Oct. 2, 2026 on the Hive's fixed scale; earlier: C. Scale: A = 90% or more of the counted money from individual people; B = 67–89%; C = 34–66%; D = 10–33%; F = under 10%. Counted money is individuals plus caucus and leadership PACs plus other organizations (businesses, trade and union PACs, other candidates' campaigns). Ordinary party help and the candidate's own money are shown but not counted.
Transparency	BEvery entry is itemized. 21 rows are marked amended, with no explanation in the export.
Financial accountability	C$4,451.50 was paid to the candidate for travel without the trips listed; the rest of the spending names each payee.
Environmental impact	N/ANot applicable.
Community impact	CIndividuals gave 9.9% of his money.

3. The disclosure forms

Criterion	Grade and reason
Power	N/ANot applicable.
Transparency	BBoth filled in the required items. Benson’s name differs between his form (“David Brooks Benson”) and the ballot (“Brooks”), which makes his filings harder to find.
Financial accountability	BBenson names his $5,000+ income source; Buss lists her nonprofit roles.
Environmental impact	N/ANot applicable.
Community impact	BNothing listed ties either candidate to the energy or development decisions before the Legislature.

4. The 2026 laws Buss helped pass, bill by bill

The four signed bills she floor-sponsored or co-sponsored, graded on what the law does. Read from each enrolled bill’s summary and money lines on le.utah.gov. Her six own bills did not pass, so there is no law to grade. P = power, T = transparency, $ = financial accountability, E = environmental impact, C = community impact.

Bill	What it does	P	T	$	E	C	Why
H.B. 22 Vintage vehicles · she was the Senate floor sponsor	Creates a classic-vehicle designation and removes emissions testing for certain vehicles. Takes effect Oct. 1, 2026.	N/A	N/A	B	C	C	Funded ($36,400 in transfers). Drops an air-quality test for some older cars; the summary doesn’t say how many.
S.C.R. 6 POTS awareness · co-sponsor	A resolution recognizing postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and urging insurers to cover care for it.	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	B	Non-binding; no money. Raises awareness for patients.
H.B. 416 First responder health · co-sponsor	Creates a Firefighter Cancer Benefit Trust Fund with an 11-member board and adds first-responder mental-health provisions.	B	B	B	N/A	A	Money is set aside (including $800,000 in restricted-account transfers) and a board is named to oversee it.
H.B. 337 Nicotine taxes · co-sponsor	Raises cigarette and e-cigarette taxes, adds a per-unit tax on nicotine pouches and a one-time tax on inventory. Effective July 1, 2026.	N/A	N/A	C	N/A	B	Aims at youth nicotine use; the summary doesn’t say where the new revenue goes.

The pattern: mostly B’s, one A for the funded firefighter cancer program, and a C on the environment for dropping emissions tests on some older vehicles. She was a co-sponsor, not the lead, on three of the four.

QUESTIONS VOTERS CAN ASK

Twelve Questions From the Records

IN PLAIN WORDSThese questions come from what the filings show and what they leave out. Ask them at a debate, town hall or meet-the-candidate night. Each has a direct answer. None assumes anything improper.

FOR SEN. EMILY BUSS (FORWARD)

FOR BROOKS BENSON (R)

1. About 69% of your support came from the party that picked you for the seat. How would you vote if the party’s position and the district’s wishes disagreed?

1. About 90% of your money came from PACs, businesses and six sitting senators’ campaigns. How will you show voters you’ll vote independently of the leaders who helped fund you?

2. Your report lists $6,446.51 of in-kind help described only as “Data,” plus $4,000 as “Software and data.” What was it, and how was its value set?

2. Your report lists $4,451.50 paid to you for travel. What trips did it cover?

3. Impact fees and limits on large investors buying homes were among your stated priorities. Will you file a bill on either in 2027?

3. Your site says AI data centers could need triple Utah’s current power supply. Who should pay for new plants built mainly for data centers: the companies or all ratepayers?

4. Meta’s data center is in Eagle Mountain, where you live. Where do you stand on the proposed gas plant to power it, and on who should pay for power built for data centers?

4. You received money from a lobbying firm’s PAC whose principal lobbies for Meta, and from utility and refinery PACs. How will you handle votes that directly affect those donors?

5. About 15% of your cash came from outside Utah. How do you weigh that against what district voters want?

5. You file as “David Benson” and campaign as “Brooks Benson.” Will you use one name on all filings so voters can find your records?

For both

You both say growth should pay its own way. Would you support a bill requiring developers and data centers to cover the full cost of the roads, water and power they need?
Will you post your campaign spending, not just contributions, before early voting starts Oct. 20?

View all sources (16)

Emily Buss, 2026 Convention and Primary reports, DEX export DEX20260924_080608.csv (disclosures.utah.gov)
Emily Buss, itemized contributions 6/21–9/21/26, with in-kind comments (disclosures.utah.gov)
Emily Buss, conflict-of-interest disclosure, State Senate (disclosures.utah.gov), read from filed text
David Benson, 2026 Convention and Primary reports, DEX export DEX20260924_080859.csv (disclosures.utah.gov)
David Benson, itemized contributions 6/24–8/7/26 (disclosures.utah.gov)
David Brooks Benson, conflict-of-interest disclosure, State Senate (disclosures.utah.gov), read from filed text
disclosures.utah.gov entity search for “brooks” and “bens,” Sept. 24, 2026 (only “Benson, David (2025 Utah Senator-11)” returned)
Brooks Benson campaign site: home, energy, infrastructure and water pages (brooksbenson4utah.com)
Utah Republican Party, 2026 Republican Candidates page (utgop.org)
Eagle Mountain City, Kyle Ireland, “Following Forward Party vote, State Sen. Buss outlines priorities,” Dec. 17, 2025 (eaglemountain.gov)
Utah News Dispatch, Katie McKellar, Forward Party preference vote and appointment of Emily Buss, Dec. 12, 2025
Utah News Dispatch, Katie McKellar, SD-11 Democrat MacKenzie Miller withdraws, Sept. 1, 2026
Utah Legislature, bill list for Sen. Emily Buss, 2026 General Session; introduced and enrolled texts of S.J.R. 17, S.B. 189, 247, 291, 297, 320, H.B. 22, 337, 416 and S.C.R. 6 (le.utah.gov)
Forward Party of Utah, party registration and assumed-name filings (as compiled in this site’s research)
Lincoln Hill Partners PAC reports, 2026; Lincoln Hill Partners 2021 announcement; Chase Everton lobbyist registration and principal list (disclosures.utah.gov), as compiled in this site’s PAC files
This outlet’s own files: the Doers Network file, Case 21 (SD-6), Case 23 (SD-9), the SD-21 file, the Kirk Cullimore file and the Meta Eagle Mountain files (Parts 1 and 2)

Nearly Even Totals, Different Sources