A Break in the Ranks?

The idea that the ongoing drama surround Fast and Furious is a partisan witch hunt takes a turn:

Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) on Tuesday became one of the first Democrats to publicly declare he will vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, breaking from his party on what is expected to be a mostly party-line vote Thursday.

“Utahns expect and deserve transparency and accountability from government officials, especially when a tragedy such as the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent occurs. It just compounds the tragedy when both sides play politics instead of releasing the facts,” he said in a statement, adding: “Sadly, it seems that it will take holding the Attorney General in contempt to communicate that evasiveness is unacceptable. It is a vote I will support.”

Is this a sign of Democratic uneasiness about the scandal? Maybe, but I think there's something else going on. An astute observer of the political scene would note two things about this development:

• Utah Democrats are pretty rare critters; and
• It's safe to assume that any Utah Democrat would have tough sledding in this election cycle.

And sure enough, Matheson has a fight on his hands:

Other than her conservatism, there is little about Mia Love that doesn't stand out in Utah. She is a black Republican, a 36-year-old mother of three, a fitness instructor and mayor of a growing town.

Now, her congressional race against a popular incumbent whom Republicans have struggled to defeat has made Love a minor celebrity among GOP stalwarts.

She recently introduced herself to a group of teachers, standing in the gilded state Capitol, which historically has been the domain of white men, by describing her Haitian American father.

"He said: 'Mia, your mother and I never took a handout. You will not be a burden to society,' " she said with a stern smile. " 'You will give back.' "

Most of the teachers already knew of Love, whose race against six-term Rep. Jim Matheson (D) has become one of the country's most closely watched congressional contests.

If she wins, not only would she help Republicans keep control of the House, but she would become the first black Republican woman to serve in Congress. Love, who is Mormon, also could go a long way toward helping presidential candidate Mitt Romney, putting a fresh face on his church and his party as both try to appeal to an increasingly diverse nation.

Here is the safest prediction of the day: as the campaign goes on, you are going to see a lot more Democrats with tough races trying to put a little daylight between themselves and the incumbent administration. Doubt that? Check out Claire McCaskill:

Claire McCaskill will not be attending the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, a McCaskill aide confirmed to TPM Tuesday. McCaskill joins a list of vulnerable Democratic politicians whose home districts are hostile ground for President Obama and who will be steering clear of the convention.

McCaskill is the incumbent senator from Missouri, famously known as the Show Me State. It's interesting what she chooses to show these days.