• Cannon raised $95,000 and spent $151,000 in the short, six-week primary campaign two years ago. From his 2004 election through his 2006 primary, Cannon raised $969,000 and spent $864,000. Chaffetz has raised $92,000 in the 18 months he's been running for the 3rd District.

• Jacob, like Chaffetz, got more convention votes than did Cannon. But Jacob, a millionaire, loaned his campaign $544,000, only to be beaten by Cannon in the June 2006 GOP primary. Out of nearly 60,000 votes cast, Cannon got 55 percent to Jacob's 44 percent.

• Cannon has good name ID in his district and a good old Mormon name to go with it. (Joe Cannon, Chris' older brother, is the editor of the Deseret News.) Chaffetz is not as well known in the district and in fact is a convert to the LDS Church and the Republican Party.

Cannon said he'll raise and spend "a little more" in this primary than he did two years ago. His main plan is to identify core GOP voters — people who have voted in previous 3rd District primaries — and get them to the polls June 24. Cannon will have some radio and TV but believes voter turnout will be the key to his victory this time around.

"In 2006, people were really angry. And they were angry mostly about immigration," said Cannon. While 3rd District voters may still be a bit angry this year, the issues are different: "They are angry about the recession, the Iraq war and high oil prices."

Much of his campaign this time will be convincing GOP voters that he is working — and working well — on those issues, Cannon said. "I'm the conservative in the race. And I'm an agent for change — as I have been before."

Chaffetz, of course, sees the race just the opposite. "I have the issues on my side." And Chaffetz said he won't become the Washington, D.C., politician that Cannon has become.

Chaffetz says that Cannon lacks true grassroots support among 3rd District Republicans. Rather, Cannon has held on to his seat because his GOP challengers were weak to begin with or self-destructed in the primary election. To that end, he pointed specifically at Jacob, whose momentum stalled after he told the Salt Lake Tribune that Satan was working against the success of his campaign. Jacob also had to answer questions about his own gambling and whether he employed illegal aliens.

Free of distracting side debates, Chaffetz said he is "extremely confident" that he will beat Cannon in the primary. An ex-BYU football kicker, Chaffetz joked: "I'll win by three points — I'll kick a field goal to seal it."

Still, Cannon remains optimistic and vowed to use the same approach that has worked previously.

"Heck, I don't know if I'll win," Cannon said. "But we will work very, very hard — and we've won those other elections by working hard."

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E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com