Democrats have not held the governor's office since 1984, when Jim and Scott Matheson's father led the state.

Outside of the race for governor, the race for Utah's 2nd Congressional District is shaping up to be the most contentious of the major races in the state. Two years ago, the Republican majority redefined Matheson's 2nd District, adding to it large chunks of conservative rural Utah, including St. George, and taking away more liberal parts of Salt Lake County. It was clearly a move to dilute Matheson's urban appeal and make the then-first-term congressman vulnerable.

It almost worked. Matheson's margin of victory was less than 1 percent and was among the closest congressional races anywhere in the country.

Since that time, Matheson has been working hard in rural Utah, where he was badly beaten by Swallow two years ago. He's facilitated a new rail spur outside of Cedar City, secured funding for airport improvements in St. George and worked to protect the famous Dinosaur footprints outside of St. George, among other projects the locals feel strongly about.

The efforts there are paying off. In head to head contests, Matheson and Swallow are dead even in rural Utah with 41 percent. When matched with Bridgewater, Matheson wins by a 50 to 29 percent margin. And Matheson beats Wilde by a 51 to 24 percent margin.

"There was a lot of misperception about me (two years ago in rural Utah), but things are really going great there now," Matheson said. "People there are feeling really good about our accomplishments. I feel good about our record of accomplishment there."

Dan Jones & Associates has conducted research for GOP gubernatorial candidate Jon Huntsman Jr., Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, Swallow, Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman and the Utah State Democratic Party.

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E-mail: spang@desnews.com