The popularity of "Jim Matheson seems to be helping Scott Matheson," said Jones, who teaches political science and polling at the University of Utah.

Rep. Matheson's 2nd District includes the eastern part of Salt Lake County, but also a number of counties in eastern and southeastern Utah. And in the 2nd District, Scott Matheson ties Huntsman, 45-45 percent, found Jones.

Still, Scott Matheson has some work to do among voters in the 2nd District, where Jim Matheson is doing well. Jones found 26 percent of voters who favor Jim Matheson are turning around and picking Huntsman over Scott Matheson.

As competitive as Scott Matheson is in Salt Lake County and in the 2nd District, Huntsman's strength statewide is holding up, especially among some important demographic groups.

For example, Jones found that among those who said they were "very interested" in the 2004 governor's race — and thus likely to vote Nov. 2 — Huntsman leads Matheson 51-38 percent.

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E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com