This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Incumbency has its privileges. And one of them is the high-profile work.
While State Rep. LaVar Christensen is staging "Beatlemania" shows with the governor, the congressman he hopes to unseat, Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson, is gathering headlines across the country - some good, some bad - for his refusal to accept Congress' annual automatic pay raise, for his sponsorship of new wilderness legislation and for urging stricter video game rules.
Matheson likes to say: "I'm just busy working as a congressman." It's an all-purpose statement to deflect attacks from political challengers who accuse him of grandstanding. But it also works, creating an image of a diligent elected representative - as the past weeks demonstrate.
Meanwhile, Christensen, a Draper Republican, is fighting the heat and apathy of summer. The campaign isn't likely to start in earnest until after Labor Day. But Matheson appears to have a psychological head start.
Whether he's just been busy recently or is watching years of work come to fruition, Utah's lone Democratic representative in Congress has commandeered traditionally conservative values like fiscal responsibility, multiple use of public lands and protecting children from violence. In the heavily Republican 2nd Congressional District, Matheson's efforts are red meat for his constituents.
"I can't see where any of those issues could hurt him in the election," says Todd Taylor, state Democratic Party director.
While Christensen doesn't disagree with the principles behind Matheson's legislation, he says the incumbent is piggy-backing on his Republican colleagues in Utah's delegation or other GOP members of Congress, rather than leading. And he argues that Matheson rarely gets his own bills through. It's "representation by press release," Christensen says. "Hopefully, he can find one bill that can pass. That would be great."
Matheson first drew national attention when he tried to force his colleagues to vote to accept or reject their automatic cost-of-living pay raises. Newspapers across the nation noted Matheson's stand.
As he has for each of his six years in Congress, Matheson plans to donate his $3,300 raise this year to charity, making his salary $165,200. His cost-cutting is not cumulative; he accepts the previous year's raise a year later. Last year, he introduced legislation to require members of Congress to vote for their raises; it has languished.
"Government spending is out of control in Washington. And members of Congress are asking Americans to tighten their belts. Maybe they ought to start to tighten their own belts," Matheson says.
The three-term incumbent also has gotten national news coverage of his legislative partnership with Sen. Bob Bennett on a detailed land-use bill for Washington County that includes the controversial sale of some federal lands for private development and protection of others as wilderness. The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee editorial page panned the idea as a "bipartisan land grab." In a Los Angeles Times story, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Director Scott Groene called it a "miserable piece of legislation."
Matheson stands behind the legislation as a "responsible, comprehensive" bill that "secures the future of Washington County."
Finally, the conservative Utah Democrat took on the video game industry, introducing legislation that would make it illegal to sell or rent video games rated "adults-only" to minors or "mature" games to children under 17. Matheson's oldest son is 7 years old. He says he relies on ratings to know what's appropriate for his son to play.
Christensen can't take issue with the substance of Matheson's legislation. But he does question how Matheson has introduced the bills - with Republicans. He makes a point of not using Matheson's name.
About the wilderness bill, Christensen says, "Senator Bennett's doing something wonderful there. He's being very gracious including the current congressman in that. I'm not sure he [Matheson] could do it on his own."
Repeating a mantra that likely will carry him through the election, Christensen argues Matheson is a Democrat in a Republican-controlled House and, therefore, crippled. "Whatever the current incumbent is able to do, I know I can match or exceed that working within the Republican majority," he says.
Matheson brushes off such partisan jabs. He has the platform of incumbency - and those national headlines - to bolster him.
"If I work hard, the politics just take care of themselves," Matheson says.