GOP candidate faces uphill challenge

LaVar Christensen is having an exciting, but frustrating, time right now.

The state representative from Draper is the GOP challenger to U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.

Wednesday, Christensen held a Capitol Hill press conference where he was endorsed by dozens of fellow Republican legislators, Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert and the National Taxpayers Union.

Lots of cheers and kind words for Christensen.

It was a good day for him. And he needs more of those.

You see, Christensen was nearly 40 percentage points down to Matheson in a mid-September poll conducted for the Deseret Morning News and KSL-TV by Dan Jones & Associates.

While Christensen's fund raising has picked up, he is basically self-funding his campaign. So far, the millionaire developer/attorney has put nearly $500,000 of his own money into the race.

Christensen has had to struggle against Matheson this year mostly by himself.

In the past, the National Republican Congressional Committee has put hundreds of thousands of dollars into Utah's 2nd District against Matheson. So far no NRCC money this year. And as more than a dozen House Republicans are facing tough challengers — and the prospect of Republicans losing control of the House — it is unlikely any NRCC money will be coming in over the next two weeks.

Other conservative, Republican groups, like the Club for Growth, also have run expensive independent campaigns here, for Matheson's challenger and against Matheson himself. Likewise, they have stayed out of the 2nd District.

So we have what Matheson says he likes — a race just between himself and his Republican challenger.

Of course one reason Matheson likes that simple matchup is because he believes that gives him the best chance of re-election.

Unfortunately for Christensen, he hasn't seen the outside help that Republican challengers saw in 2000, 2002 and 2004.

And with two weeks left in the race, he hasn't seen the Republican Party/GOP big shots' help, either.

President Bush held a fund-raiser for Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, when he came to town in August for a veterans convention. Christensen attended the event but didn't get any of the $550,000 raised.

Vice President Dick Cheney came to Utah the past several elections to raise money for, and speak in behalf of, the 2nd District GOP candidates. He's been absent this time.

Late last spring, U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, even appeared with Matheson in a St. George event to announce a joint effort on public lands.