CQ says Matheson is one of eight Democrats favored to win.

Democrats need 15 additional seats to take control of the 435-member U.S. House. Recent ethical scandals by current and former GOP House members are helping Democratic chances, the national experts say.

In just the last two weeks since the page sex scandal broke over ex-Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla. — who resigned after ABC News reported some of his salacious e-mails to male House pages — the seats of some GOP leaders accused of covering up Foley's actions have come into play.

Rothenberg predicted four days ago that Democrats will pick up between 18 and 25 seats now held by Republicans — and thus win control of the House.

Christensen believes as those national realities sink in to Utah's 2nd District voters, wayward Republicans (Jones found that 35 percent of Republicans plan on voting for Matheson) will put their favorable feelings for Matheson aside and vote for him as a way to hinder the Democrats' march on the U.S. House.

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