Matheson, Bennett re-election coffers brimming

The fund-raising power of a congressional incumbent is clearly evident this week as new Federal Election Commission reports show Rep. Jim Matheson and Sen. Bob Bennett are well-heeled as they prepare for expensive re-election campaigns this fall.

Bennett, R-Utah, is being challenged by former Democratic Attorney General Paul Van Dam. Bennett holds a healthy lead in the polls, a recent Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll shows, and an even larger lead in cash.

Bennett's mid-July FEC report shows he has raised $1.9 million and spent $1.2 million. The two-term senator has more than $750,000 in cash.

Van Dam has raised $66,000, spent $44,000 and has $26,000 in cash. Van Dam has also loaned his campaign $3,500, a summary of his filing provided by his campaign shows.

Matheson has become a PAC superman. And he's proud of it.

Locked in a rematch with Republican challenger John Swallow, Matheson has set personal campaign fund-raising records. His new report shows he's raised $1.2 million since he narrowly defeated Swallow by less than 1 percentage point in 2002.

He's spent $330,000 and has just over $1 million in cash.

"I'm proud of this (fund raising) result," Matheson said in a statement. "It illustrates my success in attracting support from across the political spectrum."

Matheson said he's received money from nontraditional sources for a Democrat, including the National Rifle Association, the American Medical Association, U.S. Chamber of Commerce (which ran ads against him in 2000) and the Independent Insurance Agents of America.

But Matheson also has many political action committee donations from traditional Democratic sources, like labor unions, and from industries whose issues Matheson hears in his House committee assignments, like transportation.

Nearly 60 percent of the $1.2 million Matheson has raised comes from PACs, his new report shows.

Matheson continues to receive $1,000 and $2,000 donations from fellow Democratic House members. Matheson's 2nd District is one of about 40 in the 435-member House that is up for play this year. Careful gerrymandering by Democratic- and Republican-run state legislatures over the years have made most House seats either safely Republican or safely Democratic.

Republicans hold a narrow majority in the U.S. House, and so national leaders in both parties say Utah's 2nd District will be targeted for special financial help.