He's performed better than ever in debates and at conventions while his campaign staff has offered customized information packets on his record to convention delegates. There also are detailed fliers on his record and strong, specific responses to attacks by Chaffetz and former challenger David Leavitt.

One colorful flier touts what it calls 76 benefits Cannon has provided to the West, to Utah and to his district and asks voters to check out www.thetruthaboutchriscannon.com to cut through the "political spin."

For example, Leavitt accused Cannon of being "a voter, not an influencer" in Congress. The Cannon campaign response was that Cannon, according to govtrack.us, ranks 30th among all members of Congress, House and Senate, in passing legislation since 1993.

On Friday, Cannon's campaign sent out an e-mail to voters encouraging them to e-mail him, visit his Web site and read his blog.

"The next few weeks will be busy ones in Congress," he wrote. "I will not have the luxury of campaigning full-time."

But he promised to be accessible and said that voters will see a lot of TV commercials, mailers and e-mails from both him and Chaffetz.

One item of interest beyond the horse race will be how many ads will be about illegal immigration and whether out-of-state immigration groups take a similar interest in this year's race.

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Utah County Bureau Chief Tad Walch lives with his wife and their five children in Provo, their home for the past 21 years. E-mail ">twalch@desnews.com.