BYU NewsNet - Chaffetz to Face Cannon in Primary

Jason Chaffetz upset incumbent Chris Cannon in a tight race for the third congressional district seat on Saturday at the Utah Republican State Convention, but did not receive 60 percent of the delegate vote he needed to get the nomination for the congressional seat.

The two will now face off in a primary election on June 24, in which all registered Republican voters in the congressional district can vote to decide the nomination.

Chaffetz, a former BYU football player, received 59 percent of the delegate vote after the third round of voting, narrowly missing the needed delegate votes by about nine votes.

"I owe so much to this community. I came here with nothing," Chaffetz said in his campaign speech. "I'm a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'm a convert to the Republican Party. I will do everything I can to fight for what's right for Utah and what's right for the United States of America."

While Cannon has been the Representative for the past 12 years, many delegates felt a change was needed.

"I just thought we needed a change," said Aaron Boyle, a David Leavitt supporter and UVSC student. "I wanted to make a difference.

Many delegates echoed this feeling.

"I wanted to see fresh blood in Congress," said Steve Garrard, a Chaffetz supporter from Springville. Garrard also said the incumbent, Cannon, hasn't done much while he has been in office and he needed to be held accountable for it.

Other delegates felt a responsibility to the community.

"I wanted to make a contribution to the community," said Joey Larsen, a BYU graduate. "I also wanted to see and be part of the process."

Boyle, Garrard and Larsen are all first-time delegates. For others, being a delegate and going to conventions is part of life.

BYU graduate Scott White has been coming to political conventions since he was little.

"I come from a politically active family," White said. "We talk about politics over the kitchen table; it's just part of life for me."

In the first round of voting for the third district, the candidates were reduced to three as Joe "NPC" Ferguson was eliminated as well as Stone Fonua. In the next round of voting David Leavitt was eliminated after receiving 15 percent of the vote. David Leavitt is the brother of Mike Leavitt, the Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Bush Administration.

"It's been a long road to get here," Chaffetz said.

Following the second round of voting, Sens. Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch spoke. Bennett said the Republican Party has always been the party that offered hope since the time of Abraham Lincoln, and that republicans need to continue that tradition and convince others of this.

Hatch urged those in attendance to get behind Sen. McCain and support him to be the next president.

"We all need to get behind him [McCain] if we want to win this election," Hatch said. "If we don't all get behind Sen. McCain, we [republicans] might as well just turn this election over to Barrack Obama or Hillary Clinton, and I cant think of a worse thing we can do to America."

While most of the convention went smoothly, there was some hullabaloo. As Mike Ridgway, a candidate for national committeeman, gave his campaign speech, he called Stan Lockhart, the Chair of the Utah Republican Party, a liar as well as other officers and staff of the party. He even went as far as to call out all the delegates in attendance for not allowing him (Ridgway) to vote as a delegate.

Also, after the results of the second round of the third Congressional District were announced and Leavitt was eliminated, some of his supporters, mainly teenagers, came down to the floor of the convention, all holding Chris Cannon signs. This was not allowed, and they were quickly asked to leave. Shortly after this, another Leavitt supporter hung a large sign that said "Leavitt supports Cannon."

Other state officials were nominated including the re-nomination of Gov. Jon M. Huntsman Jr. The race for State treasurer between Richard K. Ellis and Mark Walker was also a tight one with neither getting the necessary percentage of votes. That race will go to primary on June 24 also.

All registered republican voters in the third congressional district (including the Provo area) are asked to vote in the June primary. For more information on the Utah Republican Party, visit www.utahgop.com.