Election 2010: Philpot criticizes Matheson for adjourning

SALT LAKE CITY — U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson's underdog Republican opponent is hoping the five-term congressman will pay a political price for voting to adjourn Congress without taking a vote on extending tax cuts first.

The motion to adjourn upon completing routine business passed by a single vote — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's. Matheson is a moderate Democrat in a Republican-leaning district, where siding with Pelosi on anything is considered risky.

If Congress takes no action by the end of the year, Americans of every income level face significantly higher tax bills.

"If you can't get 'em to vote on it now before their election, how are we going to get them to vote on it when they're not accountable?" said former Utah Republican Party vice chairman Morgan Philpot. "If they don't have the courage to do it now, I absolutely do not think they will pass them or they'll punt again or they'll let the tax cuts expire."

Democratic leaders have said they want to extend the tax cuts for families making less than $250,000 and individuals making less than $200,000.

Matheson supports extending former President George W. Bush's tax cuts for even the wealthiest Americans beyond their Dec. 31 expiration, but he joined other Democrats in postponing the question until a postelection session Nov. 15.

Matheson spokeswoman Alyson Heyrend said Matheson voted to adjourn because it was clear the Senate wasn't going to take up the issue anytime soon.

"He's hopeful that after the midterm elections, after people have gone out and talked to their constituents and hopefully gotten a clear understanding of how people are worried they are about to expire, they'll come back and do the right thing and extend them," she said.

Philpot said while he also would vote to extend the tax cuts that he wouldn't have adjourned with so much work left to do.

"My opponent walked out the door on the American people and abandoned the Utahns who deserve more leadership," Philpot said Thursday.

Philpot has been struggling to find a defining issue that will grab voters' attention and hopes this will be it. Without much of an advertising budget, Philpot and other Republicans have largely been turning to social media to drum up opposition to returning Matheson to office.