Perhaps concerned that he is 40 points down in the polls, state Rep. LaVar Christensen is the first major candidate to jump into the TV advertisement wars this election season.

Christensen, a Draper Republican who is challenging U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, in the 2nd Congressional District, said Thursday in a press release that his 30-second TV ad will be followed by others as the race to Nov. 7 heats up.

But while Christensen said more ads are coming, he actually only bought one $3,200 spot on the Thursday night late news on KSL-TV, a television ad executive said. She said other local TV stations report Christensen bought a single ad on their late news, as well.

Christensen campaign spokeswoman Hayden Hill said Christensen will be buying more TV ads next week.

Matheson, who has around $1 million in the bank, says he also will start running TV ads soon.

Christensen clearly needs to become better known to voters. A mid-July poll conducted for the Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV by Dan Jones & Associates found that Matheson led Christensen 64-23 percent, with only 9 percent undecided.

Several of the major media outlets that write about Congress have downgraded the competitiveness of the 2006 Utah race, listing the Matheson/Christensen contest as "likely Democratic" in outcome.

But Christensen, known in the Utah House for his patriotic speeches and conservative legislation, said the race can turn as 2nd District residents — especially Republicans — get to know him better.

"I am excited by the launch of our television ads," Christensen said in his release. "Voters need to know they have a strong alternative for Congress and that they don't have to settle for the status quo in Washington. This is a great way to present my qualifications and beliefs."

Christensen, a multimillionaire lawyer/developer, had just over $100,000 in his campaign account as of the July 15 federal filing. He has given his campaign $150,000 of his own money, and has said he will contribute funds as needed to run an effective race. Hill said that while Christensen has not loaned his campaign more than the original $150,000, "he expects to put some more money in" as the campaign progresses.

Christensen said the new ad, titled "Know LaVar," reviews his sponsorship of the 2004 state constitutional amendment that defined a traditional marriage and another Christensen bill that promoted civic and character education in Utah schools.

Christensen says when 2nd District voters get to know him, they will like his conservative stands. But Matheson, one of the more moderate House Democrats, has voted for several of the national Republicans' "moral" agenda items, including a federal constitutional amendment (which failed) that would have outlawed gay marriage — the same thing that Christensen's state amendment did.

"I look forward to a positive campaign over the coming weeks," Christensen wrote. "We're confident that, as voters get to know me, they will agree that it is time for principle-based representation in Washington."

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