Todd Taylor, executive director of the Utah Democratic Party, said that could sway some GOP voters who back Matheson, but not enough to cost him the election. "It is probably their most effective argument for calling people home," Taylor said.

Jones said Matheson needs 20 percent of the Republi- cans to vote for him in order to retain his seat. According to the poll, 35 percent of those surveyed who said they were Republicans backed Matheson.

Just over half — 53 percent — of the GOP members polled said they would vote for Christensen, while 9 percent said they didn't know who they'd support. None of the respondents who identified themselves as Democrats said they support Christensen.

Both Taylor and Hartley said they expect all the races to get closer as the election nears and voters start paying more attention. "I definitely expect things to tighten up a little bit," Taylor said. "People want to do their civic duty."

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