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James D. Matheson (D-Utah)

U.S. Representative (since 2001)

(Matheson House office)

Why He Matters

Matheson is a prominent member of the conservative Blue Dog Democrats who doesn't like to emphasize his party affiliation. He has spent his political career trying to craft an independent image, avoiding the Democratic National Convention in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

In 2009, the Obama administration targeted Matheson as a prized House vote on the health-care reform issue, holding meetings with him and other Blue Dogs. Obama's campaign organization has also targeted Matheson in local ads and door-to-door petition drives.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Founder and president,The Matheson Group, 1998; senior associate, Energy Strategies, Inc., 1992-1998; project development manager, Bonneville Pacific, 1987-1991
Birthday: March 21, 1960
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Alma Mater: Harvard University, B.A., 1982; University of California-Los Angeles, M.B.A., 1987
Spouse: Amy
Religion: Mormon
Committees: Energy and Commerce ; Science and Technology
DC Office: 2434 Rayburn House Office Building, 202-225-3011

State/District Office: South Salt Lake, 801-486-1236; St. George, 435-627-0880; Price, 435-636-3722
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Path to Power

Born in 1960 in Salt Lake City, Matheson is the son of Scott Matheson, a lawyer who was twice elected Utah governor.

After completing his undergraduate education from Harvard University in 1982, Matheson worked as an intern for then-House Speaker Tip O'Neill (D-Mass.). Matheson worked for the Environmental Policy Institute before earning his M.B.A. from the University of California-Los Angeles in 1987.

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Matheson then returned to Salt Lake City, working as a project development manager for an energy company before joining an energy-consulting firm in 1992. He also served four years on the Salt Lake Public Utilities Board. He began the Matheson Group in 1998, seeking to help businesses deal with electricity deregulation. The following year, he committed to politics full-time.

2000 House Race

Matheson hails from "a family that was interested in politics long before my dad ever ran for office."Prior to running for the House, Matheson was involved in the 1984 Utah gubernatorial bid of Wayne Owens (D). After mulling a House bid of his own in 1998, he instead chaired the close but unsuccessful House campaign of Lily Eskelsen (D) against eventual Rep. Merrill Cook (R-Utah).

In 2000, Matheson challenged Cook, who had a low approval rating, was disliked by some Republicans and known for erratic behavior. Matheseon was nominated at a state Democratic convention, while Internet businessman Derek Smith (R) ousted Cook in a nasty primary by 18 points. Matheson won the general election by 15 points, and sought to de-emphasize his party identity.

Redistricting Battle

In May 2001, Matheson threatened to sue Utah's Republican-controlled legislature if redistricting efforts made his district more rural in nature, which would hurt his re-election chances. In redistricting, Matheson lost much of Salt Lake County, seeing his district balloon from 250-square-miles to 50,000.

Matheson opted not to go to court and faced state Rep. John Swallow (R) in the 2002 election.Matheson won the general election by about 1,600 votes, less than a 1 percent difference.

A 2004 rematch against Swallow proved easier. Matheson chose to distance himself from presidential nominee Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and won, 56 to 42 percent. Analysts cited Swallow's negative advertising and Matheson's likability as reasons the incumbent coasted to victory.Republicans have since deemed Matheson less of a target as he won easily in 2006 and 2008.

During his first term in Congress, Matheson served as a liaison to freshman House Republicans. In November 2004, he was elected to a leadership post in the Blue Dog Democrats.

The Issues

During the 110th Congress, Matheson was the 10th least loyal House Democrat with regard to floor votes, shadowing his party just 87.9 percent of the time.

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In 2007, Reps. Matheson, Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and then-Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) introduced legislation that would have given the president line-item veto power over budget bills.

Energy

In a 2008 debate, Matheson said he would like to lift a ban on oil-shale production and exploration in Utah and he supports pol offshore drilling. In the same debate, he said drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is unnecessary because oil can be found in coastal shelves, and argued that existing land leases to energy companies have yet to be tapped.

In 2009, Matheson voted against a bill seeking to cut greenhouse gas emissions and create a cap-and-trade system. Prior to the vote, he released statements on behalf of the Blue Dog Coalition saying climate change-related bills should seek to adopt achievable targets for renewable-energy development and ensure energy sources including nuclear power, clean coal and hydropower are supported.

In 2008, the Democrat appealed to federal regulators to oppose plans by a Salt Lake City-based energy company to import waste from Italy's defunct nuclear program for disposal in three American sites, including one in Utah.

Land Use

Matheson and Sen. Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah) played key roles in a massive land-use bill enacted in 2009, which designated more than 2 million acres of the U.S. as protected wilderness. The Utah provisions created over 250,000 acres of new wilderness areas in the state, making them off-limits to development or energy exploration, while selling up to 9,000 acres of federal land for urban development.

Also in 2009, Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) reintroduced a proposal that would have established 9.4 million new acres of federally-protected wilderness around Matheson's district centered on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Capitol Reef National Park, Canyonlands National Park and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The late Rep. Wayne Owens (D-Utah) conceived of the proposal during the 1980s.

But Matheson opted not to support the bill because he felt energy companies and off-highway vehicle users were not represented in the proposal. Matheson's spokeswoman did say he believes many of the areas in the bill deserve to be protected from private development.

Health Care

In a July 2009 committee vote, Matheson was one of five Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee to oppose the Democratic leadership's health-care reform legislation. Prior to the vote, he told Neil Cavuto of Fox News that he sought to administer any public health plan through nonprofit co-operative groups at the state level, not by the federal government.

In summer 2009, Matheson was targeted by political groups supporting Obama's health-care reform plan. Obama's grassroots organization, Organizing for America, has conducted door-to-door petition drives in Matheson's district to win his vote on the plan.

The Economy

Matheson was one of 15 House Democrats who voted to approve the Central American Free Trade Agreement in 2005. A letter sent to House Democrats on behalf of 20 labor unions said the groups would not aid Democratic Reps. Matheson, Melissa Bean (Ill.) and Dennis Moore (Kan.) in their 2006 re-election campaigns.

The Utah Democrat twice voted against the fall 2008 financial bailout bill, saying the $700 billion measure failed to ensure taxpayers would get an appropriate return on investment and didn't have safeguards for the future.

The Network

Though Matheson tries to disassociate himself from his party, he is closely connected to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). Hoyer advised Matheson to stay out of the 1998 House race during a breakfast meeting at Salt Lake City airport. Two years later, after Matheson decided to run, one of his first actions was to call Hoyer, who threw Matheson his full support.

In 2008, Matheson defended Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) who was ousted as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, in favor of Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.). While Dingell has been criticized as being too lax on climate change issues, Matheson said Dingell was a consensus builder who could pass major legislation regarding energy, health care and telecommunications.

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