Political campaigns typically don't get revved up until sometime after Labor Day when voters are no longer distracted by backyard barbecues and family vacations.

Forget "typical" when it comes to the rematch between Rep. Jim Matheson and his Republican challenger, John Swallow. The votes had barely been counted from the November 2002 election when both men jumped feet-first into the 2004 campaign.

"I have been campaigning every day for two years and raising money every day for two years," said Matheson, who has almost $1 million in his war chest — and a big bull's-eye on his chest as the only Democrat in Utah's congressional delegation.

For his part, Swallow said he took several months off following his 2002 defeat — he lost by half a percentage point in the closest congressional race in the country — before jumping back into the 2004 campaign with a vengeance.

"It feels like I never stopped," Swallow said. "I call home for lunch, say 'Hi honey, do you have a thousand bucks for me?' "

Swallow says he likes Matheson, and he knows that a lot of Utahns also like the two-term congressman. He just doesn't think Matheson's voting record is in line with most Utahns.

The Swallow campaign intends to go after that voting record, although Swallow pledges that it will be a positive campaign focused on issues, not one of negative attacks.

Matheson said he is "campaigning on my record, and I am proud of it." And that includes voting for tax cuts, taking on nuclear testing and bringing home the bacon to rural Utah with various economic development projects.

That's pretty much where the campaigns stood at this time two years ago. So what's different this time around?

Matheson, who was thumped in Republican strongholds in southern Utah, has been working hard in rural counties building support among staunch conservatives with, as Matheson calls them, "projects that move the economy forward."

And he has been raising a lot more money this time around. Two years ago, Matheson had about $600,000 to $700,000 in his war chest as the summer campaign started to heat up. This time around he's raised close to $1 million, including contributions from most Democrats in the U.S. House. As the campaign gets more heated, the funding from national Democratic contributors should increase proportionally.

Swallow lags behind in fund-raising, just as he did two years ago. Swallow finished his 2002 primary campaign against Tim Bridgewater with a $160,000 deficit. This time around, he expects to be about $100,000 in the positive on his next quarterly federal report due July 15. And he insists he has learned a lot about how to raise more money.