New friend U.S. Chamber touts Matheson in TV ads

But this is the first time the national chamber has bought any pro-Matheson TV ads in the state.

Matheson's district is Republican-voting in other races, like for president, U.S. Senate and governor. In his 2004 re-election, Matheson dispatched former Republican state Rep. John Swallow 54-46 percent — and that happened in a year in which President Bush won overwhelmingly in the 2nd District.

The chamber is spending $74,790 at KSL-TV to run the Matheson ad from July 28 to Aug. 10, said Stacey Rikard, head of the station's national sales. When other local TV stations' buys are added in, the chamber is spending just over $141,000 in Utah, she said.

With 100 days until the election, Matheson said overall, "Things are obviously going well," both in his polling numbers against Christensen, in his fund-raising and in his support from various individuals and groups.

Matheson added: "We take nothing for granted. We're working hard to win from here on out."

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