When he was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996, Republican Chris Cannon was already thinking about what kind of legacy he wanted to leave in Washington.

"When I went back to Congress, I had a couple things in mind," said Cannon, who is campaigning for a sixth term representing the 3rd District. "The first was I wanted to be consistent and predictable in what I did, and philosophically based on principles so you could predict what I'd do based on a consistent voting record. I think I've done that."

Two other goals he set for himself were to establish a reputation as a reliable person when it comes negotiating deals and to develop successful working relationships with congressional colleagues of both political persuasions.

"Now, 10 years later, I look back, and I think I've succeeded in those three areas," he said. "I have close relationships with Republicans but also with Democrats."

The halls of Congress are a long way from the dinnertime political discussions Cannon remembers having with his family as a child. They took place in the early to mid-1960s, when Barry Goldwater began advocating a new era of conservative thought that still influences Cannon to this day.

"There's no questioning the fact that Barry Goldwater was as profound an influence on me politically as anybody ... he becomes sort of this point in time where we shifted away from where we'd gone with Roosevelt and the socialization of America, and he was one of the first people to say, you know, this is the wrong direction," Cannon said.

Lessons learned

Cannon said he went to Congress expecting a complicated environment, but it has proven to be much more complex than anything he could have imagined.

He recalls going to lunch with a former member of Congress who had gone on to make a lot of money in the private sector, and had a very unflattering opinion of Congress and it's members.

"I often look back on that, because there are some frustrations and irritations," Cannon said. "Nothing happens quickly or simply, and to get support, you need to understand where people are coming from. And it's not just 435, it's 535 (people). It's frustrating. But on the other hand, it is in many ways the most powerful institution in the world."

But to make that power effective requires a lot of work, as Cannon has learned. He got his first real taste of how to make things work when he began working in committees, where he encountered a bloc of congressmen from the Northeast who consistently voted together and frequently blocked amendments put forth by representatives from the West.

Cannon said he had to politely remind them that the representatives from the West could just as easily turn the tables and behave in the same manner. Since then, he cannot recall a time an amendment proposed by Western representatives has been shot down.