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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Utah's lone Democratic congressman asserted Wednesday during a debate with his GOP rival that he is an independent voice in Washington, while his opponent scoffed at the notion.
U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson and Morgan Philpot squared off in conservative southern Utah, where a partisan crowd cheered on Philpot at nearly every turn. The debate was webcast by Dixie State College.
Matheson is a moderate Democrat seeking a sixth term. His opponent is a former state lawmaker and one-time vice chairman of the Utah Republican Party who hopes to pull off an upset of Matheson without the financial support of the national party.
Philpot criticized Matheson for voting for California Democrat Nancy Pelosi as House speaker, saying the country has seen government grow too much under her leadership.
"This year 86 percent of Washington, D.C. is up for election. We can literally take our county back in one day," Philpot said, reiterating a point he has made in advertisements that he's largely been unable to afford running.
Federal Election Commission reports show Philpot has spent about $165,000 this election cycle. Matheson has spent more than $2 million.
Matheson represents the sprawling 2nd District, which leans Republican and stretches from Salt Lake City to the more rural Arizona border.
Matheson's repeated victories in the district -- which was redrawn specifically in an effort to make him easier to defeat -- has long frustrated the GOP. The party has tried linking Matheson's vote for Pelosi as House speaker before, but never with such intensity.
Matheson was targeted by the National Republican Committee's "Fire Pelosi" bus tour earlier this month. Democrats are planning their own bus tour in the suburban battleground of Sandy this weekend.
Matheson noted during the debate that he favors tax cuts and voted against party leadership on health care reform. He said he's the antidote to the partisan bickering that voters say they're sick of and that he wouldn't be a rubber stamp for party leadership.
He also tried to focus the debate on local issues -- noting his support of funding for the St. George airport and other projects.
On most issues, the two said they would vote nearly identically. However, Matheson noted Philpot has said he supports abolishing the income tax and instituting a national sales tax instead.
Matheson warned that would be a 23 percent tax on everything Americans buy -- including building materials in southern Utah, where the real estate industry is important.
Philpot said he never specified he supported a 23 percent sales tax, but he promised to never raise any taxes.
Philpot also pledged that his top priority would be to repeal and defund health care reform. President Barack Obama would almost certainly veto any of those efforts. Matheson said that while he doesn't agree with the new health care law, he would work to try to improve it.
Other meetings between Matheson and Philpot are scheduled to be broadcast on KSL's The Doug Wright Show at Oct. 27 at 11 a.m., and on KSL 5 Oct. 31.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
