My tiny hope for Utah - Matheson has strong approval ratings

[FormerRepublican]

Living in the heart of staunch Republican territory as I do in Utah, it can be hard to find hope among the ashes. But I found this article today (didn't see it in November) showing Jim Matheson, one of the very few Democrat elected officials in the state, has the highest approval rating in the state.

Now, you might say this is no big deal since our Democrats are mostly Republican anyway. But leave me with my tiny little hope that people in Utah might one day see sense. Matheson may be a conservative Democrat, but he's a Democrat who's winning in a pure Republican state, and that's quite an accomplishment.

"Matheson's numbers, however, especially for a Democrat, are astronomic — a 78 percent approval rating."

-snip-

"Listen to these numbers: Two-thirds of Republicans like the job Matheson is doing; 91 percent of Democrats approve of his job performance; 83 percent of independents approve of him.
Only 17 percent of Republicans — the guys from his opposing party — disapprove of how he's doing his job. Only 9 percent each of Democrats and independents give Matheson a thumbs down.
The rural part of Matheson's district is heavily Republican and LDS. Jones found that, across the district, 82 percent of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints approve of Matheson. Off the Wasatch Front, Matheson has an 84 percent approval rating.
"These kinds of numbers will make it difficult for anyone to beat (Matheson) next year" in the 2006 U.S. House elections, Jones said."

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635161648,00.html

IMO, this little dab of good news in a red state deserves a second reading.

[TheFarseer]

1. Interesting

what are his issues that he runs on?