Jason Chaffetz barnstorming outside his district

AMERICAN FORK — The capacity crowd waited with anticipation while Rep. Jason Chaffetz stood off to the side, a wallflower in the American Fork hotel conference room. Out of the spotlight on a Wednesday night, the maverick legislator waited for his cue.

Following an opening prayer, the front of the room cleared out for Chaffetz's opening monologue. During a pregnant pause he took a deep breath, surveyed his surroundings and willed himself to focus.

Nationwide economic uncertainty shrouds political forecasts, and stump speeches must address the trying times confronting our country or risk falling on deaf ears. Consequently, politicians across the country like Chaffetz are spending the August Congressional recess out on the campaign trail, hammering economic talking points with an eye toward 2012.

Chaffetz, R-Utah, recently held four town hall meetings across the Beehive State. At these events, he fielded unscreened questions and did not mince words in rebuking the federal government for its unprecedented spending and deficits.

"People are mad," Chaffetz said an hour before the meeting in American Fork started. "They're frustrated at their government. The changes that they've seen, they don't like. They're mystified as to why we find ourselves in such financial woes. … Clearly they want a course correction."

Deidre Henderson, Chaffetz's campaign manager, succinctly summarized the message Team Chaffetz looks to disseminate during these campaign appearances.

"Jason stands on principle," Henderson said. "He's not one to swing with the pendulum; he's not one to take a poll before he decides how he's going to vote. He has a set of principles — fiscal discipline, limited government, accountability and a strong national defense — that is a foundation upon which he builds all policy."

Chaffetz is publicly saying he will likely run against Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, in 2012. Although he hasn't yet officially declared to challenge Hatch, Chaffetz's four town-hall meetings last week all occurred outside the 3rd District he represents in the House.

With Chaffetz and Hatch generally professing very similar conservative fiscal sensibilities — they both strongly support a balanced-budget constitutional amendment, for example — Chaffetz is personally making his case to voters that he is the person voters can trust to help right the nation's troubled financial ship.

Arturo Morales, a state delegate for the Utah Republican Party who attended Chaffetz's recent American Fork meeting, got the candidate's message loud and clear.