27 Facts About Jim Matheson

Jim Matheson represented Utah's 2nd district from 2001 to 2013 and its from 2013 to 2015 as a member of the Democratic Party.

On December 17,2013, Jim Matheson announced he would not seek reelection in the 2014 elections.

Jim Matheson is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Jim Matheson's wife, Amy, is a pediatrician and they have two sons, William and Harris.

Jim Matheson joined a group that was in favor of increased compensation for people who were affected by the radiation from Cold War atomic testing.

Jim Matheson was co-chairman of the Blue Dog Coalition, a conservative group of 25 Democrats in the House.

Jim Matheson was a member of the New Democrat Coalition.

In March 2007, Matheson was one of 14 Democrats who voted against a bill that would require President George W Bush to bring combat troops home from Iraq by September 1,2008.

Jim Matheson regularly voted in favor of the wars in the Middle East, having voted for the 2003 Iraq invasion and opposing the bill to remove troops from Libya in 2011 and Pakistan in 2010.

Jim Matheson did vote in favor of requiring a time-table for withdrawal from Afghanistan, after opposing the bill in two previous votes.

In 2011, Jim Matheson voted to extend expiring provisions of the PATRIOT Act and voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012.

Jim Matheson leans anti-abortion but supports expanding federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

Jim Matheson voted against raising the federal debt limit, as well as against both Republican and Democratic budgets that did not reduce the deficit.

Jim Matheson was a strong supporter of Wall Street regulation, voting in favor of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the strongest set of Wall Street reforms since the 1930s.

In July 2011, Jim Matheson was one of five Democrats to vote for the Cut, Cap and Balance Act.

In January 2013, Jim Matheson was one of sixteen Democrats that voted against the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which was the last minute solution to the US fiscal cliff.

Jim Matheson is opposed to the No Child Left Behind Act, believing that education is a local issue and federal funds should come with minimal strings attached.

Jim Matheson believes that the "Highly Qualified Teacher" requirements should be more flexible, and that states should have alternative options to the single standardized test used in No Child Left Behind.

In November 2009, during intense debates over American health care reform, Jim Matheson voted against the Affordable Health Care for America Act.

However, when the 112th Congress reconsidered the legislation in January 2011, Jim Matheson voted against repealing the healthcare overhaul.

Congressman Jim Matheson sat on these committees and subcommittees in the 111th Congress:.

In 2000, Jim Matheson was tapped to run for the 2nd district seat.

Ultimately, Jim Matheson defeated State Representative John Swallow by only 1,600 votes, largely due to a 25,800-vote margin over Swallow in Salt Lake County.

Jim Matheson defeated Republican challenger Bill Dew in the 2008 general election by 28 percent.

Jim Matheson had said he was considering a run for statewide office in 2012, particularly if his seat was substantially changed in redistricting.

Polling conducted in July 2011 showed Jim Matheson leading incumbent Republican Senator Orrin Hatch in a possible 2012 Senate race.

On December 15,2011, Jim Matheson announced that he would run for the newly created seat in the 4th congressional district, meaning there would be an open-seat race for the 2nd district.