Swallow stresses his war chest, hard work

John Swallow wants a second chance. And he thinks he's earned it.

Next week, Swallow, 41, an attorney and now president of a small business, is asking GOP voters in the 2nd Congressional District to let him again go after Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson.

Just two years ago, it was a Swallow and Matheson final election. And Swallow came up short — oh, just so very short.

In a heavily Republican area, Matheson carried the Salt Lake County portion of the then-newly expanded, 16-county 2nd District to win a second term by less than 1 percent of the vote.

It was Swallow's first political loss. "I had won three races for the Utah House. I'd won the (2002) primary," he said. But without the funds that the incumbent Matheson had raised "and without the name ID" that Matheson enjoyed, Swallow fell short.

It was a tough loss. Especially since some of the GOP supporters of Tim Bridgewater — the man Swallow beat in the June 2002 Republican primary — kept saying "we told you so."

On June 22, it is again a Swallow/Bridgewater GOP primary rematch.

What's changed from two years ago?

"I've learned a lot," says Swallow. "And I've worked harder and smarter."

A few examples:

• Swallow says this time around he has "the basic team" that former Rep. Enid Greene and current Rep. Chris Cannon used to defeat, respectively, then-Democratic incumbent Reps. Karen Shepherd and Bill Orton.

• "Like a freshman quarterback who throws interceptions," Swallow said he made his mistakes in 2002 and has learned from them.

• Swallow has more money this time, has worked the large geographic district harder and longer, will spend more time and money in Salt Lake County (where Matheson beat him 60-40 two years ago).

• "I start the race this time 8 percentage points closer in the polls (to Matheson), while my primary opponent is further behind than I was in 2002."

Swallow, who spent part of his youth in St. George and his teenage years on a farm outside of Ely, Nev., says he never really stopped running after his narrow defeat in November 2002.