SALT LAKE CITY — There are only two ways politicians run for re-election, goes the adage: unopposed and scared.
Though Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, considers his showing at the Utah State Democratic Convention a win, he also knows that his challenger, Claudia Wright, won 45 percent of delegates' votes to his 55 percent.
That has put Matheson in his first Democratic primary election runoff on June 22.
"I take everything seriously," Matheson told the Deseret News Editorial Board on Tuesday.
During the hourlong interview, Matheson talked about everything from anti-incumbent fervor and his record to nuclear testing and illegal immigration.
The economic downturn has caused an edge in society, he said.
"I get it. I'm angry," he said, adding that people are frustrated with institutions of government and industry.
But he hopes his record will attract voters, and he doesn't think his recent vote to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the military policy that bars openly gay citizens from military service, will lose him any votes.
"It's a flawed policy," he said. "For people who want to put their life on the line, I think that that's the ultimate measure (of who should serve)."
Matheson touted his opposition to nuclear weapons testing, which both U.S. Republican Senate candidates — Tim Bridgewater and Mike Lee — have supported through signing a national "Peace Through Strength" platform that backs "a safe, reliable, effective nuclear deterrent, which requires its modernization and testing."
"I have to challenge that," said Matheson, who worked in 2007 to stop the test of Divine Strake, a 700-ton non-nuclear device.
When it comes to dealing with illegal immigration, Matheson said he thinks the federal government should take away incentives for people to enter the U.S. illegally.
"Each state trying to deal with it on its own is remarkably counterproductive," he said.
Part of the solution should involve fixing the current visa system, which Matheson called dysfunctional. The government also could raise the cap on the number of people allowed to enter the country each year, he said, which would eliminate some of the incentive to enter illegally.
At the same time, businesses should not be allowed to hire illegal immigrants, he said.
e-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com
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