SALT LAKE CITY — Claudia Wright, who is challenging Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, in the June 22 Democratic primary, said Matheson has been too silent on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and takes too much money from corporations.
Wright has pledged to not accept any corporate donations in her campaign.
Wright called out Matheson on Monday at her campaign headquarters as she prepared for a road trip of Utah's 2nd Congressional District this week.
From Wednesday to Monday, Wright will travel to campaign events in Cedar City, Rockville, St. George, Kayenta, Kanab, Moab, Torrey and Price.
The tour schedule is available on her website, www.claudiawrightforutah.com.
Wright said the road trip is a chance to reach out across the state. The 2nd District encompasses eastern Salt Lake County, part of northern Utah County and eastern and southern Utah.
She said her gut tells her the primary election will be close. Wright is the first Democrat to get enough state convention votes to force Matheson into a primary election.
"I feel our momentum growing," she said.
On Monday, she said Congress needs to be more proactive about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, holding the right people accountable and protecting the environment following the April 20 explosion that began feeding millions of gallons of oil into the gulf.
She said Matheson claims to be an environmentalist but hasn't stepped up and called for hearings or shown leadership since the oil rig's explosion, something Matheson refutes.
"Clearly, Claudia has not been paying attention," he said Monday.
Matheson, who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said he has called for hearings and helped push through a moratorium on new offshore drilling operations.
He said the Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, on which he serves, has held four or five hearings.
Wright said money corrupts and added that she believes corporations, special interest groups and political action committees should be barred from contributing to campaigns.
According to the Federal Election Commission, Matheson's campaign has $1.4 million on hand, compared to Wright's $8,953, as of the most recent filing deadline, April 18, which preceded the state Democratic convention.
Wright is only accepting personal donations to her campaign and said Matheson accepts too much corporate money, including money from oil and gas companies.
Matheson said he receives contributions from organizations on all sides of issues and won't be beholden to anyone. He said he tries to make decisions on issues based on their merits.
"I'm proud to have a diverse range of funding sources," he said.
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