Submitted by Conor Kenny on
For the third time this election cycle, an incumbent member of the U.S. House of Representatives will be looking for work at the end of the 110th Congress. Republican Rep. Chris Cannon yesterday lost a primary race to Jason Chaffetz in Utah’s 3rd district. Chaffetz ran on a platform of cracking down on illegal immigration, and contrasted his stance to Cannon's support of comprehensive immigration reform.
Chaffetz succeeded in 2008 where others had failed: in 2004 and 2006, Cannon also faced challengers from within his party. Like fellow Republican Andy Harris and Democrat Donna Edwards in Maryland, Chaffetz was able to coalesce his support among his party's base, in a year when "Change" has been a successful theme for candidates of all stripes.
As part of Congresspedia's Wiki the Vote project, citizen journalists from around the country (and even some candidates!) have been logging information about the candidates' positions, biographies and records. A full list of the candidates and their professions are below, but you can also find them at their respective state portals via the Wiki the Vote project homepage. We need your help to find out more about these candidates, so if you know something about them please add it to their profile. (You can always contact one of the staff editors for help.)
Here are the victors of Tuesday's primaries:
Utah
- In the 1st district, the November race was already decided: Republican incumbent Robert Bishop will square off against Democrat Morgan Bown, the former CEO of an agricultural consulting firm and now a seminary instructor.
- In the 2nd district, incumbent Jim Matheson (D) is being challenged by Republican Bill Dew, who owns a construction company.
- In the 3rd district, incumbent Rep. Chris Cannon (R) was defeated by Jason Chaffetz (R) in the primary. Chaffetz, a former gubernatorial aide, will run against Democrat Bennion Spencer, a 25-year journalism veteran.
Printer-friendly version