Deseret News article reports on Uchtdorf's campaign donation during 2020 U.S. election campaign.
Tad Walch, "Elder Uchtdorf clarifies family campaign donations during elections," Deseret News, March 12, 2021, accessed March 7, 2022
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a senior leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, issued a clarification Friday about campaign donations made by his family that appeared this week under his name on the Federal Election Commission’s website listing contributions to national political campaigns.
The FEC report shows campaign donations from Dieter Uchtdorf of North Salt Lake City, Utah, to Joe Biden and other Democrats in late 2020 and early 2021.
“These donations were made by our family using an online account, which is shared by our family and associated with my name,” said Elder Uchtdorf, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in a statement provided to the Deseret News. “I regret such an oversight on my part. I fully support the church’s policy related to political donations from church leaders.”
The church issued a policy in 2011 against donations by senior, full-time church leaders. It states:
“General Authorities and general officers of the church and their spouses and other ecclesiastical leaders serving full-time should not personally participate in political campaigns, including promoting candidates, fundraising, speaking in behalf of or otherwise endorsing candidates and making financial contributions,”
The FEC’s website reports 11 donations over a four-and-a-half-month span for a total of $2,086.67 to three candidates, a political action committee and the Democratic National Committee. The Deseret News initially reported an additional two donations for another $200, but an FEC spokesperson advised that all donations listed as made to ActBlue are accounted for in other reported contributions.
The listings show four contributions totaling $1,000 to or earmarked for President Joe Biden’s campaign. The first two of those donations was made through ActBlue on Aug. 23, 2020.
An additional $250 contribution was made on Nov. 15 to the Biden Fight Fund, a joint fundraising committee authorized by Biden for President and the Democratic National Committee. That same day, a $250 donation listed in Elder Uchtdorf’s name went to the DNC and was earmarked for the Biden Fight Fund.
The giving switched gears in December to the U.S. Senate runoff races in Georgia.
On Dec. 19, the donor provided the first of three contributions to Raphael Warnock’s campaign for a total of $378.33. The person also gave $208.34 in two donations to Jon Ossoff.
Warnock and Ossoff won their runoff elections on Jan. 5 and became the 49th and 50th Democrats in the Senate.