So if you have not heard about it, yesterday seven-term Congressman Jim Matheson, Democrat from Utah's 4th district, announced that he would not seek re-election. Now, I'm only going to briefly provide my thoughts about Matheson himself, as I could go on and on and on about him, and I want to get to the meat of this diary quickly; I want to detail possible candidates to succeed him.
Anyway, as a resident of Matheson's district, I have to say that he's a soulless politicial chameleon, but he's our soulless politicial chameleon. I do not like most of his votes, but I respect the fact that he has to vote in a centrist way on many issues, because of the conservatism of his district. I do not like his weasel word answers, but I respect his ability to pound the pavement and run one of the greatest campaign operations in the nation. I like when he votes progressively, and I think he will be a great asset for Utah Democrats if he runs for governor. I was in Jason Chaffetz's district before 2012, and even as conservative as Matheson is, I greatly prefer him to Chaffetz. I mourn the loss of national Dem money that Matheson's retirement ensures, as it helped many down-ballot Dems. And I respect the fact that as minority whip, he could wrangle up Democratic votes for progressive legislation, even if he couldn't vote for it himself.
Follow me beyond the Great Orange squiggle for my thoughts on candidates in both parties who could (or are already campaigning to) run for Matheson's district.
Republicans-
Mia Love: Ah, Mia. Current Mayor of Saratoga Springs, 38 year old Haitian-American and Mormon, 2012 GOP candidate for Utah's 4th Congressional District, Tea Partier Extraordinaire, Mia Love is one of the most interesting candidates that Utah has produced in the last few years. She only lost to Matheson by less than 800 votes, and before Matheson's retirement, had begun building up a stronger campaign than her 2012 campaign was (she was a terrible campaigner then, though I suppose everyone's campaign looks bad when compared to Teflon Jim Matheson's campaign). If elected, she would be the first black GOP woman, first black Mormon, first Haitian-American, and first black Utahn elected to Congress. And she pushed aside state representative Carl Wimmer, who literally had UT-04 drawn so he could challenge Jim Matheson (incidentally, Wimmer has now quit Mormonism and politics and is now an evangelical minister-in-training in the middle of rural central Utah, so I guess she broke him?)
However, as strong as Love may seem, there's the possibility of a primary or convention challenge. Love was considered the only candidate that could beat Matheson (since she gave him the closest election he's ever had), but now that he's retiring, ambitious Utah politicians are looking to challenge her for what looks like an easy win for Republicans. Because Utah currently works on a convention system, there is the possibility that a popular enough candidate could deny love the nomination by seizing enough delegates. I personally think that's doubtful, but due to the system, it is possible.
Bob Fuehr: Utah Businessman and horribly failed UT-02 candidate, Mr. Fuehr is currently the only other GOP candidate running in UT-04. He got something like forth in the UT-02 GOP convention fight (which was full of interesting antics that year), but he's as dull as a wet dishrag, and he's got nothing beyond "I'm a Reagan conservative", so I expect him to be a non-entity.
Josh Romney: Son of Mitt Romney, Josh seriously considered running against Matheson in 2008, but decided against it (Matheson won handily in that election, incidentally). He's also been touted as a possible challenger to Mike Lee and a possible LG or gubernatorial candidate, but I think that if he goes for any office soon, it'll be Congress. I think that he's the only Republican who could stop Mia Love. And lets be honest, it's because of his name. As awkward as Mitt Romney is, at this point he's basically the Mormon Kennedy, and Utahns (or Utah Mormons, to be precise) love him. Josh Romney can use that love of the Romneys to defeat Love, and would be a strong general election contender.
Thomas Wright: Former Utah GOP Chairman (he ended his last term earlier this year), and generally considered to be an alright guy, Thomas Wright could be a fairly safe "establishment" candidate, if the Utah GOP feels that Mia Love brings in too many Tea Party elements. Kind of a boring candidate, but he's well-spoken, and has expressed interest in higher office before (in fact, like Josh Romney, he's considered a possible challenger to Mike Lee). He's still relatively young (late 30s or early 40s, I think), so it wouldn't be a last hurrah kind of thing.
Dan Liljenquist: He of the unpronounceable surname, former state senator and 2012 GOP primary challenger to Orrin Hatch, Liljenquist (I live here, and even I don't know how to spell his name right the first time) would be an interesting choice; like Love, he's a Tea Party foot soldier, but unlike her, he's been a member of the legislature, and is, well, white. If the Utah GOP really is racist to the point that they can't stand even GOP-aligned minorities, and Love's candidacy in 2012 really was a fluke, he could be a possible contender, though he has the stench of loser on him. He's the same age as Love though, so he might just wait it out for another elected office.
Michael Jensen: Recently re-elected Salt Lake County Councilman and Unified Fire Chief, Jensen could be an interesting candidate. He's popular and ambitious, and definitely upwardly mobile. He has recently expanded the Unified Fire firefighters group across county lines into Utah County, where many of the UT-04 delegates are from. He could definitely be a threat to Mia Love, and would be a considerable general election opponent even if we chose a good candidate.
Ken Ivory: State Rep from District 47 in West Jordan, Utah, Ivory is my very own State Representative. Normally I wouldn't include him on the list, but I have a gut feeling that he wants a promotion, and could try for Congress. He's a smug, arrogant jerk, and his big issue is federal lands. He wants the state to seize control of public lands (whether by suing the Feds, declaring Fed control of public lands unconstitutional, whatever), presumably to gut the land for oil and natural gas (and houses, since he's associated with real estate company Ivory Homes), and Congress would be a perfect vehicle for that ambition. Ivory has traveled to four different states on anti-federal land missions, and could command a decent following in a UT-04 primary/convention. I think he's unlikely, but he's the last GOP contender I could think of.
Jon Huntsman: You know who this is. Anyway, he put his DC house up for sale, so heck with it, he could be a contender, why not?
Carl Wimmer: Like I mentioned in the Mia Love entry, former state representative Wimmer has gone off his rocker a bit, quitting Mormonism and politics to be an evangelical minister in the middle of nowhere, but it's possible that he could see Matheson retiring as an opportunity for him to finally win the Congressional seat he wanted for so long. I put his chances of running at less than Huntsman's.
Democrats-
Scott Matheson Jr: Jim Matheson's older brother and 2004 Utah Democratic gubernatorial nominee. Currently a federal appeals court judge. Like Josh Romney, he could have a bit of political strength due to his last name, but unlike Josh Romney, he's got political experience. Like Jim, he's a notorious centrist, but nostalgia for Jim (and his dad Scott Senior) could help him. I don't think he'll be a candidate since he seems to be comfortable as a federal judge, but he could be convinced by Norma Matheson, his mom (who is a powerful player in Utah politics, and who could also be convincing Jim to run for Governor). Liberals won't like another Matheson candidacy, but to be honest, they'll vote for him anyway (I would). EDIT: Scott Junior apparently ran on a more liberal platform than his brother when both were on the ballot in 2004, so liberals might not be as angered with him as I previously thought.
Peter Corroon: Former Salt Lake County Mayor from 2004-2013, Corroon's aggressively moderate persona and politics makes him a tempting candidate for UT-04. He's very popular, but as with the Mathesons, liberals are a bit wary of him. Salt Lake County comprises over half of UT-04 (though unfortunately most of it is the conservative part of the county), and Peter Corroon's name recognition, popularity, and moderate nature could keep the district from going red. Corroon has lost both attempts at a non-mayoral office, first in 2010 in the special gubernatorial election against Governor Gary Herbert (he lost to Herbert by 33 percentage points), and next in the December 2012 race to fill Ben McAdam's state senate seat after Ben McAdams won the election to succeed Corroon as County Mayor. In Corroon's defense, a Congressional race in 2014 is completely different from a gubernatorial race in 2010, and the state senate district is the most liberal in the state. Corroon is still young-ish, so I think he'll definitely be a contender for the Dem nomination if a Matheson doesn't jump in.
Incidentally, Corroon is Howard Dean's second cousin, and Dean does have a bit of a following among Utah Dems, because of his new initiative to get 40,000 new Dem voters registered for 2014, which I'm told is going well. A Dean endorsement could help Corroon in a convention challenge/primary.
Scott Howell: Howell is a former Utah Senate Minority Leader who challenged Orrin Hatch in 2000 and 2012, both times very unsuccessfully. He's another centrist (though I'd say Corroon is slightly more liberal, and Matheson slightly less liberal), and is currently looking at a state senate comeback in Senate District 4. There are already two strong candidates looking at SD-04, so Howell could go for UT-04 instead. He's been out of Utah for a long time though, so while he has a lot of electoral experience, he might not be the delegates favorite candidate. He's got a bit of charisma though, which helps.
Sam Granato: 2010 Senate candidate and current Salt Lake County Councilmember, Granato would be yet another centrist candidate, but like Corroon, a proven electoral winner in the important Salt Lake County. He's a bit old (in his mid 60s), and wasn't as driven a campaigner as he could be though, which could hurt his potential candidacy. I don't think he'll be a candidate.
Pat Jones: Retiring State Senator from SD-04, and probably the only candidate who would be more conservative than Jim Matheson himself. She's popular, but not nearly as popular as Matheson, and she rubs a lot of center-left types the wrong way, which could hurt her at convention. I think she's less likely than Scott Howell, who is currently running for her seat. I only mention her because the state Dem Chair Jim Dabakis did.
Claudia Wright: Matheson's 2010 primary challenger and a strong progressive, Wright is the only potential progressive candidate who can say that she's run a Congressional campaign before (unless Rocky Anderson gave it a go). She's in her 60s, but was a vigorous campaigner in 2010, and seems to take personal offense at Dems like the Mathesons, so she could be a candidate. I don't think she will be, and the moderate wing of the Utah Dems won't like her candidacy, but she's probably the most credible progressive candidate.
Ben McAdams: Current Salt Lake County Mayor, former state senator, fiscal conservative and social moderate/lefty (for Utah), Ben would be an interesting choice. He's only had a year of experience as County Mayor, but he got 55% in all of Salt Lake County, and could potentially do better than Matheson in UT-04's portion of the county. He's personable, has an excellent campaign team, and has a ridiculous strong following who are willing to volunteer for him. I don't think he'll do it (I think he wants another term as County Mayor, and wants to go for Governor in 2020), but Jim Dabakis mentioned him as a candidate, and Utah's political professors (who are usually right), think he could keep the seat for Democrats.
Forrest Shaw: Co-producer of the Left Show (a popular progressive radio show here in Utah), Shaw's candidacy has basically only been promoted by his friends (who happen to include past legislative candidates themselves), and I don't think he's serious about it, but for what it's worth, the Left Show was going on about it long before Matheson announced his retirement. He... wouldn't be a serious general election candidate, unfortunately.
Patrice Arent: Multi-term Dem state representative from Milcreek, Patrice Arent could be an interesting choice. She's well known in her district, but not much anywhere else. She's progressive, and has been a fighter on voting rights issues and air quality issues. She's also a Jewish woman, which would be a first for Utah, both as a Congressional candidate, and if elected, a Congresswoman. This Fox 13 report mentions her as a possibility.
Right now, these are all the candidates I can think of, but there could be a few legislators on either side announcing soon. Watch this space (and the DKE daily diaries).