Jim Matheson retiring

[RogueBeaver]

Wow. Guess the seat is now Love's for the taking. Question to Zioneer and other Utahns: was there any hint of this, and do you think Matheson is gearing up for a future statewide run? Not necessarily soon, he's only in his early 50s.

[morgieb]

F**k you Matheson.

R+1. And unlike most of the time, this time there's no sense of jokiness towards it, it's just plain hard facts.

[free my dawg]

GOD DAMNIT

[RogueBeaver]

I'm guessing one or more of: tired of being targeted, genuinely wants out of politics, future statewide run (not necessarily soon given he's only 53).

[Hifly]

What a shame. He was a good guy.

[Miles]

What a shame. He was a good guy.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Statewide run for what?  The next Senate/gubernatorial elections aren't until 2016.

[Lief 🗽]

Good riddance.

[badgate]

Congrats to Mia Love.

I can't really blame him, I mean he's a target every cycle, but more than that he has to thread the needle so carefully with how he votes on things. 'Course that's less of a problem in the least productive Congress ever, but still. Part of him is probably tired of kicking his own party to stay alive. And I know part of me is tired of tolerating it. So it's probably best that he leaves gracefully and runs for statewide office after 2016.

[Miles]

I hope McIntyre doesn't get any ideas from this

[DrScholl]

This is the first real pickup opportunity Republicans are getting and it's R+14. Outside of the very few heavily Republican districts held by Democrats, there is nothing else out there for Republicans to gain.

[Zioneer]

Wow. Guess the seat is now Love's for the taking. Question to Zioneer and other Utahns: was there any hint of this, and do you think Matheson is gearing up for a future statewide run? Not necessarily soon, he's only in his early 50s.

There was literally no hint of this; he was posting his plans for legislation as soon as this week, and didn't seem tired of Congress in any of his statements. This was completely out of left field.

As for a statewide run, yeah. I think he's going to go for Governor, as it's less likely for him to have to act as he did in Congress. He can be a bit more lefty/moderate and use his personal popularity rather than his votes. If he ran for Senate or continued in the House, he wouldn't be able to do that. If he doesn't run for either, a lobbyist career seems like an easy choice for him.

[windjammer]

F**k you Matheson.

R+1. And unlike most of the time, this time there's no sense of jokiness towards it, it's just plain hard facts.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

I can't begrudge him this, he kept a seat in Democratic hands that we had no business holding for over a decade.  Disappointing though

[windjammer]

And Mia Love will be elected: DEPRESSING!!!!!

[DrScholl]

Once less place where the DCCC will have to spend money. This retirement means that Democrats can play more offensive, which is a really good thing. Outside of the few very red districts held by Democrats, Republicans have no place to play offense. UT-4 will be one of their very few pickups, with NC-7 and GA-12 being the only other very strong possibilities.

[RedSLC]

Wow. Guess the seat is now Love's for the taking. Question to Zioneer and other Utahns: was there any hint of this, and do you think Matheson is gearing up for a future statewide run? Not necessarily soon, he's only in his early 50s.

Biggest surprise of the month. I literally did not see this coming. I guess this means Utah will soon have an all-republican delegation at the federal level.

As for future runs for office, I could see him possibly running for Governor in 2016, since he's "only" 53 at the moment, and he would be the only democrat with a remotely realistic chance of winning. Maybe he decided he wanted some time off from campaigning. Who knows?

[Reaganfan]

GREAT NEWS! Hopefully Mia Love can add conservatism to the Congressional Black Caucus.

[ElectionsGuy]

Hahahaha. This has got to be a killer to democrats. R+1 for real! I never expected this and its a shock to me that he did this. But he was getting older. Mia Love next representative for UT-4?

[DrScholl]

GREAT NEWS! Hopefully Mia Love can add conservatism to the Congressional Black Caucus.

Her intention was to join it so she can dismantle, so I'm pretty sure she won't be invited to join.

[DrScholl]

Hahahaha. This has got to be a killer to democrats. R+1 for real! I never expected this and its a shock to me that he did this. But he was getting older. Mia Love next representative for UT-4?

Uhm, not really a killer, spending money to defend an R+14 is somewhat of a waste. That money will be freed up to target Republicans on shaky ground, so it's not without it's upside.

[Zioneer]

Hahahaha. This has got to be a killer to democrats. R+1 for real! I never expected this and its a shock to me that he did this. But he was getting older. Mia Love next representative for UT-4?

Uhm, not really a killer, spending money to defend an R+14 is somewhat of a waste. That money will be freed up to target Republicans on shaky ground, so it's not without it's upside.

On the other hand, the money Republicans were going to spend on Mia Love against Matheson can also be spent elsewhere, so it's a wash. Plus, Mia Love is now safe (unless a Matheson-esque candidate appears again), so she won't be required to raise a bunch of money and can instead raise money for other GOP candidates.

Also, if elected, Mia Love will be the first black Mormon, black female Republican, and Haitian-American rep.

[ElectionsGuy]

Hahahaha. This has got to be a killer to democrats. R+1 for real! I never expected this and its a shock to me that he did this. But he was getting older. Mia Love next representative for UT-4?

Uhm, not really a killer, spending money to defend an R+14 is somewhat of a waste. That money will be freed up to target Republicans on shaky ground, so it's not without it's upside.

Yes, I was being a little unnecessary. But this is one district less away from a D majority in the House.

[Gass3268]

Congrats to the Republicans for one and possible only pickup in 2014.

[Zioneer]

If Former Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon (a popular centrist) gave UT-04 a run, he could potentially lose to Mia Love with dignity (get a vote percentage of high 40s), but no one else could even come close.