From Deseret News archives:
No GOP rival yet in 2nd District
Party can't find anybody to take on Jim Matheson
This summer . . . silence on the GOP front.
No Republican has stepped forward to challenge Matheson, who beat a well-financed John Swallow in 2004 by 15 percentage points in a GOP-dominated district that national and local Republicans have targeted for years.
Joe Cannon, state GOP chairman, said he has talked "to a lot of people" over the past few months, encouraging them to seriously take on Matheson.
"But only two have given me definite answers John Swallow and Tim Bridgewater said 'no,' " Cannon said.
Considering how strong Matheson is in fund-raising and campaigning, "It's getting a bit late" for Republicans to not have a "quality candidate" for 2006, according to Brigham Young University political science professor Kelly Patterson, who has studied U.S. House races for a decade.
Patterson defines a "quality" candidate as one who has won elective office preferably within the 2nd District boundaries and has a proven ability to raise funds.
"I assume I'll have a (Republican) opponent," Matheson said this week. "Hey, I'm the only race the Republicans have (to find a candidate) in 2006" all the other seats have GOP incumbents.
"And I'm preparing for it like I always have I take fund-raising and campaigning very seriously."
Indeed, in his mid-July Federal Election Commission filing, Matheson reports having $333,346 in cash. In July 2003, a year out from his 2002 election victory against Swallow, Matheson had $346,380.
"I'm about where I was two years ago" in fund-raising, said Matheson, whose 2nd District includes eastern Salt Lake County and parts of eastern and southern Utah. "I spent $2 million in 2004 and expect to do at least that or better" in the 2006 campaign.
Being a Democrat in a GOP-majority district, the fund-raising never ends, Matheson added.
After losing a very close election to Matheson in 2002, Swallow just kept on raising funds through 2003 and into 2004. In July 2003, Swallow had $105,000 in his campaign account, FEC reports show.
Not only does a GOP challenger to Matheson next year not have $105,000 a year out from Election Day Republicans don't even have a name.
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