Matheson is proud of his moderate label

WASHINGTON — Of 205 House Democrats last year, a new study shows that only eight supported President Bush more often than Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah. And one of them, Rep. Ralph Hall of Texas, just switched to become a Republican.

Being such a moderate, or even a maverick, among Democrats pleases Matheson, the lone Democrat in conservative Utah's congressional delegation.

"I've said it before, but I try to be an independent voice for Utah. When studies after the fact validate that I vote that way, I feel pretty good about it," Matheson said about new Congressional Quarterly voting studies that measure how often members support the president and how often they stick with their parties when party-line votes occur.

Matheson voted with the president 56 percent of the time in 2003. The average House Democrat sided with Bush in only 26 percent of votes where he stated a position. During party-line votes, Matheson stayed with his party only 75 percent of the time, compared to an average of 87 percent for House Democrats.

"I look at an issue based on merit, not on who is for or against it," Matheson said.

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, looks at it another way. "It means that Matheson cancels out our vote two-thirds of the time. He votes to cancel out Utah's strength," adding that he feels most Utahns prefer the Republican agenda that Matheson still often opposes.

Republicans in Utah's delegation were nearly always true to their party and president in 2003. Their scores for presidential support were: Sen. Orrin Hatch, 99 percent (a tie for third-highest in the Senate); Cannon, 98 percent; Bennett, 97 percent; and Bishop, 92 percent.

Their scores for party unity in party-line votes (when a majority of Republicans opposed a majority of Democrats) were: Hatch and Cannon, 98 percent; and Bennett and Bishop, 97 percent.

"I think a high score for supporting the party is good," Cannon said. "I stand for Republican ideas. Because of the narrow split in Congress, more partisan votes occur now. But I am moving the Republican agenda that I helped form, one with which I overwhelmingly agree."

But Matheson says he worries about growing partisanship in Congress — which CQ said is now stronger, with more party-line votes appearing, than at any time in the five decades it has been doing such studies.

"I think the public in Utah expects us to work together and get things done," he said, worrying that too much bickering and partisanship now prevents that. "I think it shows Congress is out of touch."