SALT LAKE CITY -- Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Pete Ashdown has sent notarized copies of his five campaign pledges to national, state and county Republican leaders in an effort to hold himself accountable should he unseat five-term Republican U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch.

Ashdown said Thursday the best way to ensure he follows through on his campaign promises is to make sure his political opponents have a copy of them.

Ashdown has pledged to see increased public input in congressional matters, publish a public calendar of all political meetings he would attend, serve only three terms, refuse to take Congressional pay raises and fight against nuclear testing in Nevada.

Ashdown faces an uphill climb against Hatch, who has raised more money than every other political candidate in the state combined with about $2.5 million in the bank, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission report. Ashdown, meanwhile, had about $13,000.

Utah is also a heavily Republican state with only one Democrat in Congress, Rep. Jim Matheson.

In 2000, Hatch won with 66 percent of the vote to Democratic challenger Scott Howell's 31 percent. In 1994, Hatch defeated Democrat Pat Shea with 69 percent of the vote.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D3.