Stuart Adams PAC Received $135,000 From MIDA Donors After Data Center Approval

Seven days after a powerful state authority chaired by Utah Senate President Stuart Adams signed off on a controversial 40,000-acre data center in northern Utah, five companies and individuals with business before that same authority dropped $135,000 into his political action committee all on the same day.

The donations, all dated May 1, came from entities tied to projects overseen by the Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA), the powerful state agency Adams leads. They are the five largest contributions the Adams Leadership PAC has reported in its six-year history. Together, the checks nearly doubled the PAC's existing cash on hand.

MIDA wields enormous power, overseeing redevelopment on military property, and can issue bonds, approve development agreements, and steer hundreds of millions in public financing into private projects.

At the same time, Adams is fighting for his political life in the most competitive re-election campaign of his career.

On April 24, MIDA’s board, chaired by Adams, approved a 40,000-acre hyperscale data center campus and natural gas power plant in northern Utah backed by Kevin O'Leary, the Canadian venture capitalist and "Shark Tank" television personality. The approval came amid significant public opposition, with critics raising concerns about water usage, environmental impact, and the wisdom of directing public resources toward the project.

Seven days later, five entities with MIDA‑connected projects wrote those record checks.

There is no evidence that the O’Leary project approval and the donations are directly connected. None of the five donors appears tied to the O’Leary deal specifically.

But the timing of five MIDA-connected entities dropping the largest checks in the PAC’s history a week after a high-profile approval demands scrutiny

The donors and their MIDA ties

Jacobsen Construction Company: $40,000. Lead general contractor on several MIDA flagship projects, including the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley and Deer Valley’s East Village expansion.
Clawson General Contracting: $25,000. Headed by CEO Brandon Clawson; involved in the Deer Valley East Village build and frequently used on MIDA infrastructure work.
Tyler and Jennifer Aldous: $25,000. Tyler Aldous is managing director of SkyRidge Development, a residential and recreation project on the north shore of Jordanelle Reservoir in MIDA’s Wasatch County Project Area. He also sits on the board of the MIDA Golf and Equestrian Center Public Infrastructure District (PID).
Gershon (Gary) and Ayala Barnett: $25,000. Gary Barnett runs Extell Development Company, the primary private‑sector partner on MIDA’s massive Military Recreation Facility project area, which includes the expanded Deer Valley Resort.
Copper Key Electrical Solutions: $20,000. Also led by Brandon Clawson; performed electrical contracting for the Deer Valley East Village project.

Together, the five donations nearly doubled the $135,000 the PAC already had on hand as of April 13, according to the latest financial disclosures.

Adams is currently in the middle of the toughest reelection fight of his career

He’s seeking a fifth term in the Utah Senate, with Republican rivals Stephanie Hollist and Braden Hess forcing him into his first-ever primary election next month. When it became clear in January that a primary was coming, the Adams Leadership PAC transferred $45,000 to his campaign, the single largest donation the PAC has ever made to any candidate.

Now the PAC’s war chest has been nearly doubled in size by donors with businesses before the authority Adams runs.

Adams chaired MIDA throughout the period when several of the May 1 donors’ projects were approved. That means the same person who oversees decisions impacting those companies' bottom lines is now collecting the largest donations in his PAC’s history from those companies.

If Adams transfers more PAC funds to his campaign before the primary, Utah law does not prohibit it. MIDA‑connected donors will have effectively underwritten his political survival.

Utah Political Watch reached out to Adams seeking comment on the donations, the timing, and whether he intends to make additional transfers from the PAC to his campaign. This story will be updated with any response.