With two weeks to go in the 3rd Congressional District's GOP primary, challenger John Jacob has prepared TV ads and is streaming more of his own cash into his race to unseat Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah.

Early voting in all primaries opens today, but Jacob, who has put more than $450,000 of his own money in his race so far, said Monday he can't afford to run the TV ads for two weeks to reach any of those early voters.

"If we run TV (ads), it will be the last week of the campaign," said Jacob, a millionaire land and water developer.

Nathan Rathbun, Cannon's campaign manager, said Cannon put $100,000 of his own money into his race last week, as well as collecting another $100,000 from a Washington, D.C., fund-raiser. Cannon TV ads could start running this week, Rathbun said.

"And (Cannon) has told us he may put more" of his own money into the race, Rathbun said.

Utah's 3rd District GOP primary has become somewhat of the national poster-boy race this year, some saying it's a bellwether test on how strong, or weak, Republican incumbents may be.

Because Cannon, who seeks a sixth term, has been attacked in his past two re-elections on the immigration issue, the June 27 primary this year is also seen here as a test of how the immigration issue will play out across the nation in November's final election.

Even though both Cannon and Jacob say they are not one-issue candidates, and immigration is not necessarily a key issue in the 3rd District, it keeps cropping up.

"Last week (the Jacob/Cannon race) was on a national radio talk show, and we got $600 in two hours — and none from Utah. Checks (were) from North Carolina, all over the place," said Jacob.

Citizens' opinion of the Republican-controlled House and Senate is an issue, says Jacob.

Jacob says bluntly if you like what Cannon and Congress are doing, vote for Cannon. If not, vote for him.

While immigration is not the only issue in the 3rd District, recent debates show the two men don't disagree sharply on other topics.

Jacob explains it this way: "Illegal immigration flows into all the other issues — crime, our hospitals, health care, our schools and jobs."

Jacob claims that 40 percent of many states' prison and jail inmate populations are the result of illegal immigration. "It's costing us millions."

But Jacob says his TV ads won't be harping on illegal immigration. Rather, two ads talk about Jacob the man. "I want (voters) to get to know me. I talk about the contract (letter) that I've signed ... I talk about what if there was a man who thought like you (the voter) did."

Jacob said he doesn't think his campaign could be doing any better. "We have a perfect storm" building that will sweep Cannon from office, he predicts.

"We finally have Chris saying that illegal immigration is a cancer growing on America. Too bad he wasn't talking that way the last few years. He's turned 180 degrees on this issue. I ask: Which Chris Cannon do we now have before us? Will he please stand up?"

Rathbun declined to say what Cannon's TV ads will say but added not all of them deal with illegal immigration.

Both camps say they are telling Utahns that they can start voting today, but neither camp organized any specific type of early-voting message or strategy.

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E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com