Thread: Rep. Chris Cannon loses in Utah!

Rep. Chris Cannon loses in Utah! (Jason Chaffetz)

Illegal immigration-supporting hack and Republican Congressman from Utah Chris Cannon will lose the primary election to Jason Chaffetz. With over 80% of the votes counted at post time, Chaffetz leads 60% to about 40%, so it's safe to call.

There are about forty posts at this site mentioning Cannon; use the search function to see them all. His higlight reel includes one of his aides soliciting campaign contributions from illegal aliens as he sat next to him, his links to David Safavian and Grover Norquist, the money he got from the cheap labor lobby, and more. See also this, this, and this. And, in 2002 - when accepting an award from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) - he said this:

"We love immigrants in Utah. And we don't make the distinction very often between legal and illegal. In fact, I think Utah was the first state in the country to legislate the ability to get a driver's license based on the matricula consular [the Mexican government's illegal-alien ID card] and of that I'm proud."

As for Chafetz, he says among other things:

I will not support or vote for amnesty in any way, shape or form. If you are here illegally, there is no pathway to citizenship except to apply from your country of origin.

Whether there are loopholes in that statement or not remains to be seen, but just about anyone would be better than Cannon.

In the past when Cannon has been challenged on his immigration stance and won, various sources have pointed to that as an example of public support for "comprehensive immigration reform" and/or an indication that those who support our laws have trouble at the ballot boxes. What those same sources will say in this case remains to be seen. Perhaps they won't say anything at all, or perhaps they'll try to pretend it was due to something other than immigration.
http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/007771.html

Good news for Utah!!!

Hopefully, as other pro-illegal pols see their cohorts becoming similarly unemployed, they will sit up and take notice. However, even if they do I'm a firm believer that those who have consistently shown that they are not working in our best interests should be shown the door regardless of any appearances that they have changed their ways.

Cannon ousted in Republican primary

Republican voters in Utah ousted Rep. Chris Cannon in Tuesday’s GOP primary, expressing their dissatisfaction with the six-term congressman over his left-of-center positions on immigration by nominating a challenger who made crackdowns on illegal immigration a central part of his platform.

Cannon was trounced by Jason Chaffetz, the former chief of staff to Gov. Jon Huntsman (R-Utah.) With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Cannon trails Chaffetz by 20 points – 60 to 40 percent. The AP has called the race for Chaffetz.

With his loss, Cannon becomes the third member of Congress to lose in their own party’s primary. Two members of Congress from Maryland, Democrat Al Wynn and Republican Wayne Gilchrest also were defeated in primaries held in February.

Chaffetz is near-guaranteed to become the next congressman for Utah’s Third District, which is one of the most Republican districts in the country. The seat, based in suburban Salt Lake City and Provo, gave President Bush 77 percent of the vote in 2004.

Immigration was the driving factor behind Cannon’s unpopularity with the district’s Republican base. Despite sporting a near-perfect score from the American Conservative Union, Cannon alienated border security hawks over the past several years with his belief that illegal immigrants should be eligible for certain government benefits.

In 2003, Cannon sponsored a bill that would give children of illegal immigrants in-state college tuition. And he has also supported legislation that would allow illegal immigrants to receive guest worker status.

By contrast, Chaffetz advocated gradually deporting illegal immigrants out of the United States, and also said he supports removing automatic citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants in the country.



Immigration has become a contentious issue in Utah, where a growing number of Hispanic immigrants have changed the hue of the once-homogenous state. The Mormon Church, as part of its missionary outreach, has welcomed and aided the influx of immigrants.

But other Utahns expressed concerns about the strains immigrants have placed on social services, particularly crowded classrooms and swamped health care providers.

The campaign between Chaffetz and Cannon was fairly low-key, with both candidates primarily relying on direct mail and contact with party activists to get their messages out.

Chaffetz may become a congressman with one unique distinction: He never hired any campaign staff during the primary and with the district’s heavy Republican leanings, is unlikely to add to his campaign payroll for the general election. As of mid-June, he spent just under $100,000 on the campaign.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/ ... imary.html

Utah Rep. Cannon ousted in Republican primary
BROCK VERGAKIS - 6/25/2008 5:45:45 AM

U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon, one of the nation's most conservative congressmen, lost his bid for a seventh term Tuesday in a Republican primary that focused on whether he was conservative enough for Utah's 3rd District.

Cannon was defeated by first-time candidate Jason Chaffetz, a former Brigham Young University football player who served as chief of staff for popular Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman.

The lobbying group American Conservative Union said Cannon was nearly perfect on its issues in 2007, scoring 96 percent. But Chaffetz repeatedly pounded the incumbent, especially on immigration, and pledged to be even more conservative.

With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Chaffetz led 60 percent to 40 percent. Voter turnout was described as low.

"I think we have a mandate to help return the Republican Party to its core conservative principles," he told The Associated Press after Cannon conceded defeat. "People were fed up and we empowered them to become involved and make the changes we need."

Cannon, 57, had no immediate public comment on the election result.

Meanwhile, in Utah's only statewide race, Richard Ellis defeated Mark Walker for the Republican nomination for treasurer. The race was mired by accusations of bribery. Walker repeatedly denied offering Ellis a raise to stay as deputy treasurer and drop out, but the allegation may have stuck with voters.

With 92 percent of precincts reporting, Ellis had nearly 60 percent of the vote.

In the congressional race, Chaffetz, 41, claimed Cannon was soft on immigration, saying his votes amounted to offering amnesty to people in the country illegally.

In 2003, Cannon sponsored a bill that would have allowed states to charge in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants.

Rather than deporting all illegal immigrants, Cannon has called for a guest-worker program that doesn't punish businesses and allows immigrants to travel freely across the border.

Chaffetz said he wants the U.S. to deport all illegal immigrants and stop granting automatic citizenship to children born here if their parents aren't legal residents.

He also attracted support in the largely suburban district by saying he wants to abolish the U.S. Education Department and cut a slew of federal programs unless they can prove they're working.

Chaffetz will face Democratic candidate Spencer Bennion, a former television reporter, in the general election. In one of the nation's most conservative districts, the ex-BYU kicker is expected to easily cruise to victory.

Chaffetz said his campaign will be no different this fall and his tough words will remain the same if voters send him to Washington.

"I'm going to tell it like it is. We're in a crisis right now. The budget is out of control, immigration wasn't taken care of, and gas is at $4 a gallon," Chaffetz said. "We need new solutions."

Cannon had hoped his name recognition, a large amount of campaign cash and a pool of more moderate voters would propel him again to the Republican nomination. An endorsement from President Bush, who still remains popular here, was also expected to help, as it did in 2006.

But this year, the political climate was different.

In 2006, Cannon "had a president that was much more popular that came to his aid," said Quin Monson, a BYU political science professor. "You had a Republican Party riding high, controlling Congress and so on, and you had an economy doing better.

"He had all these factors working against him this time," Monson said.

In the treasurer's race, Ellis filed a complaint with the state elections office. Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, also a Republican, waited until polls closed Tuesday to announce that an investigation into bribery allegations is warranted.

The Utah Attorney General's Office will handle any probe. Herbert said he waited until after the primary election because he didn't want to influence the outcome of the GOP race.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/AP/Search/Pol ... ?id=152834

Another related article
Shamnesty Republican Chris Cannon defeated in Utah primary

Shamnesty Republican Chris Cannon defeated in Utah primary
By Michelle Malkin • June 25, 2008 02:11 AM

cannonlose.jpg

Every time an immigration enforcement proponent loses a seat in Congress, the open-borders Wall Street Journal and their ilk use it to argue that Republicans need to support shamnesty to maintain political viability. The WSJ falsely framed the 2006 midterm election losses of GOP Reps. John Hostettler, Randy Graf, and J.D. Hayworth as electoral rejection of strict enforcement of immigration laws–conveniently ignoring the fact their opponents campaigned to their right on the issue.

Well, what will the WSJ and company say about what happened today to one of their favorite shamnesty/DREAM Act shills, GOP Rep. Chris Cannon? The six-term incumbent went down in flames in the Utah primary, defeated by Republican Jason Chaffetz–an underfunded political newcomer who made opposition to illegal immigration, rejection of amnesty, and support for tough deportation policies a top campaign issue. Cannon outspent Chaffetz 7-to-1 and had the entire GOP establishment from the White House on down backing him.

Cannon’s open-borders supporters can spin it all they want. They’ll shamelessly accuse the same voters who stuck with Cannon for six terms of incurable bigotry. But the simple fact is that voters finally got fed up with Cannon’s constant water-carrying for La Raza and MALDEF (watch him proudly boast, “We love immigrants in Utah. And we don’t oftentimes make the distinction between legal and illegal. In fact I think Utah was the first state in the country to legislate the ability to get a drivers license based on the matricula consular and of that I am proud.â€

This is great news, lets hope it speads all accross this country!! It will hopefully send a message to Washington DC.

Great news just sent the following to MY United States Congressman:

Rep. Lampson I would like to share the following GREAT news, another SUPPORTER of ILLEGALS and Open Borders has been DEFEATED!!!!!

Again, Thank you for supporting United States Citizens and standing against the invasion of the ILLEGALS!

Notorious AMNESTY supporter and Open Borders fanatic, Chris Cannon has been ousted from Congress.

Today is a good day.

Chris Cannon lost his race in the GOP Primary last night to Jason Chaffetz.

Mr. Jason Chaffetz criticized Chris Cannon on spending, energy, and most importantly immigration. Chaffetz made a strong comparison of his immigration stances compared to Cannon and criticized Cannon for supporting In-State Tuition for illegal aliens. It is also important to note that awareness on this issue has climbed rapidly in Utah this year, since the state legislature passed strong laws to crack down on illegal immigration.

Chaffetz beat Cannon 60% to 40%, which is considered a landslide!

While the candidate who spends the most wins the race over 94% of the time, Chaffetz was outspent by Cannon 7 to 1!

Cannon tried to cling to Bush because Bush's ratings have remained stronger in Utah than most of the rest of the nation, but over 80% of the people polled feel America is on the wrong track.

Chaffetz has stated he wants illegal aliens deported, the borders secured, and our existing immigration laws enforced. While Cannon supports a "guest worker program" for illegals inside America, Chaffetz wants to stop illegal aliens from exploiting birthright citizenship.

Chris Cannon was a 7 term incumbent and this is only the second time in thirty years that Utah voters have dumped an incumbent GOP Congressman!