From Deseret News archives:
Heated race in 2nd District again
Matheson is a fine campaigner with a large war chest and much stronger relationships in the rural parts of his district than in 2002. Matheson is moderate enough that he doesn't get hard-core Democrats very excited, and if he was alone on the ballot some liberal Democrats might stay home. But this year they'll be out to vote against President Bush (a visceral hatred there), so Matheson shouldn't have trouble getting his Democratic base.
His position on gay marriage might anger his liberal constituency, but Matheson absolutely has to attract a lot of Republican votes to win. The ideological purists on both the left and right may be smug in their views, but they'd rather form circular firing squads than win general elections.
To have a chance against Matheson, Republican leaders need to order Swallow and Bridgewater to keep the primary positive if either of them expect to have a future in Utah politics. The party can't afford to have damaged goods emerge from the primary with a sharply-divided Republican base.
The stakes are high in this race and a lot of national money will flow into Utah on both sides.
To win, the Republican has to nationalize the race, make it a referendum on Bush, a show of support for the president. Bush needs a Republican Congress to support his programs. Jim Matheson is a nice guy, but a vote for him is a vote for Nancy Pelosi and a handcuffed Bush administration. Pound that message home.
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