GOP is United, but Faces Tough 2nd District Race
For the first time in a long time, Republicans are united in the 2nd Congressional District. State Rep. LaVar Christensen has secured the nomination, and the party won’t be ripped apart in a hard-fought – and expensive -- primary election.
That should be a big advantage to Christensen and the GOP as they try to bring Republicans home and give them a reason to vote for Christensen instead of Congressman Jim Matheson.
But that will be no easy task. Matheson gets higher approval ratings than any other member of the congressional delegation, even higher than Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett. He has a moderate voting record, is willing to buck Democratic leadership, works hard for his constituents, and is an excellent campaigner who raises a lot of money.
Christensen has one other advantage over past GOP candidates. He can self-fund a good portion of his campaign, which means he doesn’t have to grovel for dollars from national GOP groups who will then want to tell him how to run his campaign. The more Christensen can keep the national groups out, the better off he will be.
A major issue for Christensen is keeping the U.S. House in the hands of Republican leadership. While many Utahns aren’t all that thrilled with national Republicans, the Democrats have provided no better alternatives, and the prospect of Nancy Pelosi as House speaker is scary for a lot of Utahns.
While Matheson is the clear favorite in the 2nd District, Christensen may be able to make a real race out of it.
Blog Watch
Divine Strake Day: Many Utah bloggers respond to Dee Taylor's call for a blogswarm to protest the upcoming Divine Strake bomb test scheduled for June 23rd at the Nevada Test Site, including SLCSpin, The Utah Amicus, The World, According To Me, Utah Democrats, Liar Paradox, Jen's Green Journal, Obiter Dicta by Steve, One Utah, Part of the Plan, and Progressive Utah... At the Senate Site blog, Sen. Curtis Bramble says: "We need tax reform, but first we need to reform how we obtain and analyze the numbers ... The purpose of tax reform is stable, predictable long term funding that will rescue our education system over the next few decades. We still need to do it. The discussion continues, but no one will be trying to close the deal until the legislature, the Governor, and the general public can trust the numbers" (see also here and here)... Reach Upward has a round-up of reaction to Pres. Bush's immigration speech (see also here)... Woods Cross Citizen says of anonymous bloggers: "If you are so afraid of your opinions, then I think that the politicians that you comment about should not listen to your opinion at all"... At Out of Context, Trib reporter Rebecca Walsh says: "You know something's off -- or it's an election year -- when state Rep. LaVar Christensen does damage control for state Sen. Chris Buttars on the subject of gay marriage."
-- Compiled by Golden Webb
Washington Watch
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Bennett Praises Bush Speech
Sen. Bob Bennett praises Pres. Bush's Monday night speech on immigration: "I’ve always said that as the former governor of a border state, President Bush understands this issue better than anyone else in Washington" (see press release).
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