This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Jim Matheson

Democratic Party

Prior offices

U.S. House Utah District 2

---

U.S. House Utah District 4

---

Compensation

Net worth

$1,798,013.50

Education

Bachelor's

Harvard University

Graduate

University of California

Personal

Religion

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)

Profession

Business

James David "Jim" Matheson (b. March 21, 1960, in Salt Lake City, UT) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Utah. He represented Utah's 4th Congressional District.

Due to redistricting, Matheson ran for re-election in 2012 for Utah's 4th Congressional District after previously representing Utah's 2nd Congressional District. He won the newly created district seat on November 6, 2012.^[1]

Biography[edit]

Matheson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He earned his B.A. from Harvard University in 1982 and his MBA from the University of California in 1987.^[2] Matheson served as one of the Chief Deputy Whips of the Democratic caucus for the 113th Congress.^[3]

Career[edit]

Below is an abbreviated outline of Matheson's political career:^[4]

• 2013-2015: Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Utah's 4th Congressional District
• 2001-2013: Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Utah's 2nd Congressional District

Committee assignments[edit]

U.S. House[edit]

2013-2014[edit]

Matheson served on the following committees:^[5]

• United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade
  • Subcommittee on Health
  • Subcommittee on Communications and Technology

2011-2012[edit]

Matheson served on the following House committees:^[4]

• Energy and Commerce Committee
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade
  • Subcommittee on Health^[6]

Issues[edit]

Legislative actions[edit]

113th Congress[edit]

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.^[7] For more information pertaining to Matheson's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.^[8]

National security[edit]

NDAA[edit]

Matheson voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.^[9]

DHS Appropriations[edit]

Matheson voted in support of HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.^[9]

Keystone Pipeline Amendment[edit]

Matheson voted in opposition of House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.^[9]

CISPA (2013)[edit]

Matheson voted in support of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill permitted federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.^[10] The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.^[9]

Economy[edit]

2014 Farm bill[edit]

On January 29, 2014, the U.S. House approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, known as the Farm Bill.^[11] The bill passed by a vote of 251-166. The nearly 1,000-page bill provides for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that would kick in when prices drop.^[12][13] However, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states.^[13] Matheson voted with 102 other Democratic representatives against the bill.

2014 Budget[edit]

On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014.^[14][15] The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582 page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill.^[15] The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations.^[16] It included a 1 percent increase in the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel, a $1 billion increase in Head Start funding for early childhood education, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and the protection of the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. Matheson joined with the majority of the Democratic party and voted in favor of the bill.^[14][15]

2013 Farm bill[edit]

See also: United States Farm Bill 2013

Matheson voted against the Farm Bill on July 11, 2013. The bill passed in a 216-208 vote.^[17] The bill passed included farm policy, but did not include food stamps.^[18]

Government shutdown[edit]

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.^[19] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.^[20] Matheson voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.^[21]

The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.^[22] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Matheson voted for HR 2775.^[23]

Immigration[edit]

Morton Memos Prohibition[edit]

Matheson voted against House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain individuals residing in the United States without legal status.^[24] The vote largely followed party lines.^[25]

Social issues[edit]

House vote on abortion ban[edit]

On June 18, 2013, the House voted 228-196 on HR1797, mostly along party lines, to approve a ban on abortions occurring after 20 weeks of pregnancy.^[26][27][28] A number of members crossed over party lines in their votes. The vote was largely symbolic, as the Senate was not expected to take up the bill, and the White House threatened to veto the legislation.^[29] Matheson was one of six Democratic members who voted in favor of the ban.

Previous congressional sessions[edit]

Fiscal cliff[edit]

Matheson voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003, while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of 16 Democrats that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257-167 vote on January 1, 2013.^[30]

Issues[edit]

American response in Syria[edit]

See also: United States involvement in Syria

More than 100 House lawmakers signed a letter urging President Barack Obama to call Congress back into session if he planned to use military force in Syria.^[31]

Rep. Scott Rigell wrote in the letter in August 2013, “Engaging our military in Syria when no direct threat to the United States exists and without prior congressional authorization would violate the separation of powers that is clearly delineated in the Constitution.”^[31][32]

The members of Congress believed that Obama should have asked Congress for permission before engaging in Libya. The letter asked, “If the use of 221 Tomahawk cruise missles, [sic] 704 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, and 42 Predator Hellfire missiles expended in Libya does not constitute ‘hostilities,’ what does?”^[32]

The letter stated, “If you deem that military action in Syria is necessary, Congress can reconvene at your request. We stand ready to come back into session, consider the facts before us, and share the burden of decisions made regarding U.S. involvement in the quickly escalating Syrian conflict."^[32]

A total of 98 Republicans signed the letter. Matheson was one of 18 Democratic members to sign the letter.^[32]

Speaker of the House vote[edit]

In January 2013, Matheson broke with fellow Democratic members to cast his vote for Michigan representative John Dingell (D) for Speaker of the House, instead of California's 12th Congressional District Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D).^[33]

House vote on Obamacare[edit]

Matheson was one of two Democrats that voted to defund Obamacare in September 2013. The bill also included funding the government for the rest of 2013. Matheson said, "It is irresponsible to add unrelated provisions to legislation to keep our government running. I have always preferred straightforward legislating that avoids political games. However, I believe we should avoid shutting down the government, and I voted for a continuing resolution to keep the legislative process working toward that end today."^[34]

Campaign themes[edit]

2012[edit]

According to Matheson's website, his campaign themes included:

• Small Businesses: "...worked to provide tax, lending and investment incentives to small businesses so that they can grow and hire."
• Budget: "...believes it is fiscally reckless and morally wrong to pile debt on future generations...the only way to turn things around is to make serious structural changes to the federal budget process."
• Healthcare: " We pay too much and get too little out of our system and the costs are driving our country deeper into debt."^[35]

Elections[edit]

2016[edit]

Matheson was rumored to be considering a run for governor or for the U.S. Senate in 2016.^[36]

2014[edit]

See also: Utah's 4th Congressional District elections, 2014

Matheson did not seek re-election in 2014.^[37]

Vulnerable incumbent[edit]

According to a Washington Post article in December 2012, Matheson would have been one of the 10 most vulnerable incumbents in 2014.^[38]

According to a March 2012 article in Roll Call, Matheson was one of the top ten most vulnerable incumbents.^[39]

The National Republican Congressional Committee listed Matheson's seat as one of seven early targets in the 2014 congressional elections.^[40]

Matheson was a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program. The program was designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents heading into the 2014 election.^[41]

On May 19, 2013, Republican Mia Love announced she would run against Matheson in a rematch of the 2012 election for Utah's 4th Congressional District seat. Matheson later announced he would not seek re-election.^[42]

2012[edit]

Due to district boundary changes following the 2011 redistricting, Matheson ran for re-election in Utah's 4th Congressional District in 2012. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated Mia Love (R) in the general election on November 6, 2012.^[43][44]

According to the website Daily Kos, this race was one of nine top-ballot 2012 races that contained Libertarian candidates who received more total votes than was the difference between the Democratic winner and the GOP runner-up. In this case, Jim Vein took in over 3,000 more votes than the number that separated Matheson and Love.^[45]

U.S. House, Utah District 4 General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jim Matheson Incumbent	48.8%	119,803
	Republican	Mia B. Love	48.5%	119,035
	Libertarian	Jim L. Vein	2.6%	6,439
Total Votes				245,277
Source: Utah Lieutenant Governor "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Polls[edit]

Full history[edit]

To view the full congressional electoral history for Jim Matheson, click [show] to expand the section.

2010 On November 2, 2010, Jim Matheson won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Morgan Philpot (R), Randall Hinton (Constitution), Dave Glissmeyer (Unaffiliated) and Wayne L. Hill (Unaffiliated) in the general election.[46] U.S. House, Utah District 2 General Election, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Jim Matheson incumbent 50.4% 127,151      Republican Morgan Philpot 46% 116,001      Constitution Randall Hinton 1.8% 4,578      Unaffiliated Dave Glissmeyer 1.2% 2,945      Unaffiliated Wayne L. Hill 0.6% 1,604 Total Votes 252,279 2008 On November 4, 2008, Jim Matheson won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Bill Dew (R), Dennis Ray Emery (Constitution) and Mathew Arndt (L) in the general election.[47] U.S. House, Utah District 2 General Election, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Jim Matheson incumbent 63.4% 220,666      Republican Bill Dew 34.5% 120,083      Constitution Dennis Ray Emery 0.9% 3,000      Libertarian Mathew Arndt 1.3% 4,576 Total Votes 348,325 2006 On November 7, 2006, Jim Matheson won re-election to the United States House. He defeated LaVar Christensen (R), W. David Perry (Constitution), Austin Sherwood Lett (L) and Bob Brister (G) in the general election.[48] U.S. House, Utah District 2 General Election, 2006 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Jim Matheson incumbent 59% 133,231      Republican LaVar Christensen 37.3% 84,234      Constitution W. David Perry 1.5% 3,395      Libertarian Austin Sherwood Lett 0.7% 1,620      Green Bob Brister 1.5% 3,338 Total Votes 225,818 2004 On November 2, 2004, Jim Matheson won re-election to the United States House. He defeated John Swallow (R), Jeremy Paul Petersen (Constitution), Ronald R. Amos (Personal Choice) and Patrick S. Diehl (G) in the general election.[49] U.S. House, Utah District 2 General Election, 2004 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Jim Matheson incumbent 54.8% 187,250      Republican John Swallow 43.2% 147,778      Constitution Jeremy Paul Petersen 1% 3,541      Personal Choice Ronald R. Amos 0.4% 1,210      Green Patrick S. Diehl 0.6% 2,189 Total Votes 341,968 2002 On November 5, 2002, Jim Matheson won re-election to the United States House. He defeated John Swallow (R), Ron Copier (L) and Patrick Diehl (G) in the general election.[50] U.S. House, Utah District 2 General Election, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Jim Matheson incumbent 49.4% 110,764      Republican John Swallow 48.7% 109,123      Libertarian Ron Copier 0.7% 1,622      Green Patrick Diehl 1.2% 2,589 Total Votes 224,098 2000 On November 7, 2000, Jim Matheson won election to the United States House. He defeated Derek W. Smith (R), Bruce Bangerter (Independent American), Peter Pixton (L) and Steven Alberts Voris (Unaffiliated) in the general election.[51] U.S. House, Utah District 2 General Election, 2000 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Jim Matheson 55.9% 145,021      Republican Derek W. Smith 41.3% 107,114      Independent American Bruce Bangerter 1.8% 4,704      Libertarian Peter Pixton 0.8% 2,165      Unaffiliated Steven Alberts Voris 0.2% 597 Total Votes 259,601

Campaign donors[edit]

2014[edit]

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Matheson's reports.^[52]

The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Jim Matheson campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Result	Contributions
2012	U.S. House (Utah, District 4)		$2,360,398
2010	U.S. House (Utah, District 4)		$1,803,801
2008	U.S. House (Utah, District 4)		$1,789,766
2006	U.S. House (Utah, District 4)		$1,860,573
2004	U.S. House (Utah, District 4)		$1,966,015
2002	U.S. House (Utah, District 4)		$1,464,613
2000	U.S. House (Utah, District 4)		$1,695,262
Grand total raised			$12,940,428
Source: [[58] Follow the Money]

2012[edit]

To view the breakdown of campaign funding by type click [show] to expand the section.
Breakdown of the source of Matheson's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

Matheson won re-election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that re-election cycle, Matheson's campaign committee raised a total of $2,360,399 and spent $2,383,305.^[59]

Cost per vote[edit]

Matheson spent $19.89 per vote received in 2012.

On October 15, 2012, quarterly reports were submitted by campaigns to the Federal Election Commission. The political blog Daily Kos conducted an analysis of the fundraising figures and found Republican challenger Mia Love outraised Democratic incumbent Jim Matheson in the third quarter. Love raised $999,000 and had $457,000 in cash-on-hand, while Matheson raised $469,000 and had $307,000 in cash-on-hand.^[60]

2010[edit]

Breakdown of the source of Matheson's campaign funds before the 2010 election.

Matheson won re-election to the U.S. House in 2010. During that re-election cycle, Matheson's campaign committee raised a total of $1,803,801 and spent $2,465,527.^[61]

Personal Gain Index[edit]

See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth[edit]

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Matheson's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $1,006,027 to $2,590,000. That averages to $1,798,013.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic House members in 2012 of $5,700,168.36. Matheson ranked as the 157th most wealthy representative in 2012.^[62] Between 2004 and 2012, Matheson's calculated net worth^[63] increased by an average of 20 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.^[64]

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric[edit]

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Matheson received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Health Professionals industry. Comparatively, the top industry employer in Utah's 4th Congressional District was Educational services, and health care and social assistance, according to a 2012 U.S. Census survey.^[67]

From 1999-2014, 28.67 percent of Matheson's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.^[68]

Analysis[edit]

Like-minded colleagues[edit]

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results included a member from each party.^[69]

Ideology and leadership[edit]

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Matheson was a "centrist Democrat," as of September 2014.^[70] This was the same rating Matheson received in June 2013.^[71]

Lifetime voting record[edit]

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Matheson missed 86 of 9,688 roll call votes from January 2001 to August 2014. This amounted to 0.9 percent, which was better than the median of 2.5 percent among congressional representatives as of August 2014.^[72]

Congressional staff salaries[edit]

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Matheson paid his congressional staff a total of $1,017,997 in 2011. Overall, Utah ranked 17th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.^[73]

National Journal vote ratings[edit]

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013[edit]

Matheson was one of two members who ranked 199th in the liberal rankings in 2013.^[74]

2012[edit]

Matheson was one of two members who ranked 185th in the liberal rankings in 2012.^[75]

2011[edit]

Matheson was one of two members of Congress who ranked 189th in the liberal rankings in 2011.^[76]

Voting with party[edit]

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014[edit]

Matheson voted with the Democratic Party 60.6 percent of the time, which ranked 198th among the 204 House Democratic members as of August 2014.^[77]

2013[edit]

Matheson voted with the Democratic Party 64.2 percent of the time, which ranked 201st among the 201 House Democratic members as of June 2013.^[78]

Personal[edit]

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Matheson and his wife, Amy, have two children.^[4]

Recent news[edit]

This section links to a Google news search for the term Jim + Matheson + Utah + House

See also[edit]

• Utah's 4th Congressional District
• Utah's 4th Congressional District elections, 2014
• United States House of Representatives

External links[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

	v • e State of Utah Salt Lake City (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2021 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy