Utah Democratic candidate among dozens who failed to file financial reports on time

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah Democratic candidate for Congress was the subject of an ethics complaint earlier this month alleging he failed to meet the deadline for disclosing his personal financial information.

The Campaign Legal Center, a well-known legal nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., filed a complaint with the House Ethics Committee on Sept. 11 requesting an investigation into missing personal financial disclosure reports for 66 House candidates and 11 Senate candidates.

Among them was Jonny Larsen, a Democrat who is challenging Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Utah, in Utah's 4th Congressional District. The Ethics in Government Act requires candidates to file personal disclosures with the House clerk within 30 days of becoming a candidate, or by May 15 of an election year, whichever comes later.

On Monday, 10 days after the complaint was filed, Larsen filed his disclosure. In an interview with KSL, he chalked up the delay to changing his address and never receiving a financial disclosure packet.

"I'm learning. I'm new at this," Larsen said, "and as soon as I found out, I made sure I took care of it immediately."

The Campaign Legal Center noted the importance of financial disclosures, especially in Larsen's case since he has reported loaning his campaign $36,000 but did not initially file any disclosures to support that.

"When candidates fail to file their financial disclosure reports accurately and on time, they deprive voters of crucial information about the financial interests of those who hope to represent them," the Campaign Legal Center wrote. "In order to make an informed decision at the ballot box, voters need to know about any potential conflicts of interest their congressional candidates may have, and whether the claims made to voters align with their personal finances."

According to Larsen's personal financial disclosure, he has two investment accounts with values between $1,001 and $15,000 each, income from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs totaling nearly $58,000 from 2025 and through May 15 of this year. In addition, he had two credit card balances between $10,000 and $15,000, and $15,001 and $50,000, both incurred in April.

Larsen told KSL the bulk of the money he loaned to his campaign came from liquidating two retirement accounts earlier this year. He said he's also using credit cards to keep up with campaign expenses.

The Democrat's late financial disclosures prompted criticism from one of his opponents.

"I've spent the last year listening to and learning from voters in District 4. Accountability and ethics are among their top concerns," unaffiliated candidate Steven Burt said in a press release Monday evening. "Larsen's failure to file these reports is a serious ethical violation; voters should know about it, and take it into account this November."

"I'm glad he's on it," Larsen said, responding to Burt's criticism. "I think it's a non-issue for us."

Kennedy is a first-term congressman who currently represents Utah's 3rd Congressional District. He is running in the 4th Congressional District thanks to a court-ordered congressional map in place for the first time this year.

"Filing disclosures can be complicated, especially when you don't know what you're doing," a Kennedy campaign spokesman told KSL. "Congressman Kennedy is only running his second campaign for Congress, so we remember the learning curve well. Utahns deserve honesty and transparency from candidates. If Jonny needs a little help, we'd be happy to point him in the right direction."

Taylor Wright, a Libertarian, is also running in Utah's 4th Congressional District.

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