About
Burgess Owens (R-Utah) was first sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 3, 2021, representing Utah’s 4th Congressional District. A member of the ultra-conservative Republican Study Committee, he ran for reelection in 2022 with Trump’s endorsement and won again in the red state.
A former NFL football player with the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders, Owens later managed a failed electronics business and worked for a time as a chimney sweep and a security guard in New York City. Since moving to Utah, he has worked for WordPerfect, the computer software company, and has been a Fox News commentator.
Owens has long supported Trump, claiming in 2020 that “more and more Black Americans [are] leaving the Democrat plantation, literally” because of “the success [Trump has] given the Black community….” His praise of the president got rewarded with a tweeted endorsement that said simply: “A Super Bowl Champion, Burgess knows how to WIN.”
After the 2020 presidential election, Owens adhered to the GOP playbook by casting doubt on the legitimacy of Biden’s victory. He objected to certifying the Electoral College results and voted against both impeaching Trump for inciting the mob and establishing a special House committee to investigate the insurrection, among other measures.
In 2021, the Federal Election Commission fined Owens $4,000 for failing to report $34,000 in campaign contributions in a timely fashion. He also accepted more than $135,000 in illegal campaign contributions from individuals who violated contribution limits.
That same year, Owens criticized Democrats’ comparisons of Georgia’s election reform laws to Jim Crow. “What I find extremely offensive,” he said, “is the narrative from the left that Black people are not smart enough, not educated enough, not desirous enough of education to do what every other culture and race does in this country: get an ID.”
January 6, 2021
- Just hours after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, Owens joined 146 other congressional Republicans in refusing to certify Biden’s win of the 2020 presidential election.
- Owens voted against impeaching Trump for his role in instigating the attack on Congress and the Capitol Police, and for fanning the flames once the riot broke out. “We have a transfer of power occurring next week,” he tweeted, “and any debate on impeachment will only deepen the divide our country is facing.”
- Owens voted against establishing a House committee to investigate the genesis of the violent assault on the Capitol and disruption of the congressional procedure underway that day.
The Big Lie
- Just weeks after the 2020 election, Owens said that Democrats have been trying to steal elections “for quite a while,” adding: “This is not just going to go away. They can’t hide this like they’ve done in the past. We need to have folks go to jail when they start stealing our voices.”
- On Dec. 15, 2020, Miller and 25 other House members-elect signed a letter calling on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to investigate irregularities in the presidential election.
- When announcing that he would reject certification of the 2020 Electoral College results, Owens was asked if he thought Trump won the election. “Absolutely,” he responded.”Yes, I do. There’s no question in my mind that I think he won.”
Top contributors for the 2024 election cycle.
The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organization's PAC, its individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families.
| Organization Name | Total | PACs | Individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cool Master Pro Llc | $19,800.00 | $0.00 | $19,800.00 |
| Rail Management Corp | $16,215.00 | $0.00 | $16,215.00 |
| Delta Air Lines | $10,008.00 | $10,000.00 | $8.00 |
| American Bankers Assn | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| L3Harris Technologies | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| National Assn of Realtors | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| National Auto Dealers Assn | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| American Israel Public Affairs Cmte | $9,860.00 | $5,000.00 | $4,860.00 |
| USA Farm Worker PAC | $9,000.00 | $9,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Professional Compounding Centers of America | $8,800.00 | $5,500.00 | $3,300.00 |