Outsiders fund Utah incumbents' campaigns

In fact, Utah is not even the top state or territory to give to that pair. Utah comes in No. 3 for both, behind the District of Columbia and Virginia. Those places, of course, are home to many special interest groups that lobby Congress.

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, receives 45 percent of what he has raised from Utah, and for him it ranked No. 1 among all states. Still, 55 percent of what he raised came from outside of Utah.

Most of that outside money for incumbents is coming from political action committees set up by special-interest groups.

Such PACs provided 82 percent of all money raised by the three incumbents. PACs provided only 1 percent of the money raised by challengers.

Among the three incumbents, Cannon received 89 percent of his money from PACs; Matheson received 82 percent from them; and Bishop received 48 percent — the only incumbent to receive more from individuals than from PACs.

PACs interested in a member's congressional committee assignments often give the most.

For example, Matheson is on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees such things as health care, consumer issues and energy policy. He has received at least $170,000 from health-care PACs, $140,000 from finance industry PACs and $84,600 from energy and natural resources PACs, the newspaper's study found.

"I'm sure there are" donations coming to him from groups interested in the legislation and issues that come before his committees, said Matheson. He said he talks to a great many people and groups who have interests in Congress, and he believes they give to him because they like the job he's doing.

"I'm running against a millionaire (Republican) candidate, and he will self-fund his campaign," said Matheson. While so-called third-party or independent ad campaigns opposing Matheson didn't materialize in the 2006 race, they have actively opposed his re-election in previous years.

"I plan and expect such opposition each election, and I must have the financial resources to fight them," Matheson said. He raised around $2 million in 2006, and he plans on raising that much this election as well.

Historically, individuals make political donations closer to the November election, Matheson said, and he believes his individual donations will grow more this summer.

Also, Cannon is a member of the Judiciary Committee, and is the ranking Republican on its Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee that often deals with business and communications law. He received $78,000 from communications and technology PACs, $49,500 from finance industry PACs and $47,750 from PACs for retail and service business PACs.