This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In an almost circular, peculiar way, this year's matchup in Utah's 2nd Congressional District race has been 10 years in the making.
In 2000, amid a booming economy, a young Republican named Morgan Philpot decided it was time to dive into politics. He'd just come out of a disappointing internship within the Clinton administration, studied the political landscape in Utah and, at 27, figured Congress needed someone with fresh ideas.
"I thought, as a young kid who believes in his country, I wanted to go to Washington, D.C., and fight," Philpot said. "I thought I could do as good a job as anyone else there."
About the same time, a 40-year-old Democrat, who had been serving as a business consultant and carrying a surname that is political gold in Utah, also thought the time was right to run for office.
"I'd acquired a good deal of life experience up until that point," Jim Matheson said. "I was ready."
A big reason both eyed the 2nd District race was the general view that the incumbent, Rep. Merrill Cook, was unraveling through a series of news reports of bizarre behavior that, at one point, led to him being barred from Republican Party headquarters for a short time.
Philpot, though, dropped out of the race early, while Matheson went on to defeat the eventual GOP nominee, Derek Smith.
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Conservative Democrat • The two candidates agree that the economy is at the forefront of the midterm elections and is driving Republicans' optimism that they can recapture the House.
Matheson admits the climate is challenging for Democratic incumbents, but he points to his standing amid the Blue Dogs — a collection of conservative Democrats in Congress — as proof that he's an individual, not a party loyalist.
He thinks that's what's allowed him to hang onto his seat for five consecutive terms.
"If the people in Utah only voted party, I'd never win an election," Matheson said.
Among key votes that he uses to show he's not beholden to Democrats is his support for extending the Bush tax cuts. His reasoning is that, while the tax cuts affect only those making more than $250,000 a year, that amount also applies to those running small businesses.
"That $250,000 might be a lot of money to an individual," he said. "But to a small business with employees, it's not that much. We need those small businesses to grow and flourish if we're going to emerge from this recession."
Philpot, however, blasted Matheson for voting to adjourn Congress before voting on extending the tax cuts.
"This is exactly what he does," Philpot said. "He will say he wants something, but when it comes to crunch time, he doesn't do it. Right now, it is crunch time."
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Gaining experience • Philpot is standing inside a gym at Jordan High School, surveying tables set up along the perimeter of a basketball court. It's a "meet the candidates" night, and a lot of the people who showed up are battling in state House races. Philpot knows a bit about that.
After he backed out of the congressional race in 2000, party leaders sat down with him to suggest that he run for the Utah Legislature. Bruce Jones, who was the Salt Lake County Republican Party chairman at the time, remembered Philpot as a rising star — but too young and inexperienced to be attempting a congressional run.
"People often have different opinions at the age of 30 than at the age of 40," Jones said. "Call it maturity or experience or seasoning, but that's how it usually works."
Philpot won a state House seat but found the experience to be less than fulfilling.
"I will be the first to admit I was intemperate and a little impatient," he said. "I wanted to reform it. The first bill I wanted to run was a legislative reform bill and took it to the House leadership. You can imagine the response I got."
After two terms — during which he hewed closely to the most conservative members — he opted to leave his seat and pursue a law degree at Ave Maria Law School.
He also got married, had kids and served as vice chairman for the state party.
The current climate — bad economy, rise of the tea party and perceived weakness by Matheson — gave him the incentive to give it another shot.
"I really didn't think I'd get back into politics again," he said. "But the national fervor that is going on right now — and this madness in Washington, D.C. — well, it's time to take a stand."
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Popular incumbent • Matheson sat in the front row at the Utah Education Association conference, and both gubernatorial candidates made it a point to greet him. As he walked around the back, a steady stream of people shook his hand, talked policy or simply posed for a picture.
There is little doubt he is popular. In a recent Deseret News/KSL poll, Matheson led Philpot 57 percent to 31 percent. He has also secured endorsements from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Rifle Association and outraised Philpot in campaign donations by a more than 10-to-1 ratio — though Philpot did get a high-profile endorsement from Sarah Palin.
Megan Sather, who ran Matheson's first campaign in 2000, said during the past decade, he has forged a Blue Dog Democrat identity that hasn't changed a lot.
"He has shown through his votes that he's a Blue Dog and not in lockstep with the party. He strikes a good balance for Utah, though I wish he'd have been more liberal on some things."
Matheson said his view on life largely shapes his voting.
"I think there are a lot of things in life that are absolutes, but a lot of aspects of life are not simple black and white, and there are many shades of gray," he said. "And to think there are only two points of view — Republican or Democrat, urban or rural — well, it's just more complicated than that."
Morgan Philpot
Hometown: American Fork
Age: 38
Family: Wife and five children
Party: Republican
Politics: Served two terms in the Utah Legislature; later elected vice-chair of the state Republican Party.
Profession: Attorney
Education: Anthropology and Environmental Sciences, University of Utah; law degree from Ave Maria Law School
Interesting tidbit: Founding member of the state House Conservative Caucus
Jim Matheson
Hometown: Salt Lake City
Age: 50
Family: Wife and two children
Party: Democrat
Politics: Five-term congressman
Education: Government from Harvard University; MBA from UCLA
Interesting tidbit: Sportscaster for Harvard athletics while a student there Saturday • District 3 candidates
• Freshman conservative star Rep. Jason Chaffetz is being challenged by former Republican Karen Hyer.