Reader comments: Chaffetz close to unseating Cannon

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Madden | 8:07 p.m. June 24, 2008
Fingers crossed, will the incumbent Cannon get voted out? Did Walker's money buy a treasurer's office he isn't qualified to run? I heard voted turnout was abysmal...kudos to everyone who got informed and got out (however you decided to vote).
Steve | 8:25 p.m. June 24, 2008
First results out of Salt Lake County with a smattering from Juab & Millard show Chaffetz leading 55% to 45%. Interesting.
Anonymous | 8:37 p.m. June 24, 2008
I voted in my district at 12:30 this afternoon. There were 3 of us there; I was told that was a crowd and there had been maybe 50 people. This is a district where we had a choice between Cannon and Chaffetz. I wish more people had felt a need to voice their opinion now, not just their opinion in November.
Comments continue below
Wilkey | 8:42 p.m. June 24, 2008
As of 8:42 pm Chaffetz leads Cannon 55%-45%. The other 98.07% of precincts still need to report, but I like it so far.
Steve | 8:53 p.m. June 24, 2008
Wilkey,

It is more descriptive than that. The Salt Lake numbers are really not precincts. They are the absentees. So, they are at least a sample of Salt Lake County. Looks like Cannon should lose that.

Now, what will happen in Utah County??
Steve | 9:09 p.m. June 24, 2008
It looks like Cannon is carrying most of the rural counties --- Beaver, Juab & Millard. Chaffetz is winning Salt Lake County handily (about 10% of those precints are in). Utah County will be absolutely key.
Mom | 9:09 p.m. June 24, 2008
I hope Chaffetz pulls through and I'm glad this is over. I'm sick of my cell phone ringing every night at 9 p.m. with a pre-recorded message as to why I should vote for Cannon. That is reason enough for me to send the incumbent packing.
Steve | 9:17 p.m. June 24, 2008
Chaffetz will win.

Utah County now coming in . . about 7% of precincts shows Chaffetz up 58% to 42%.

Prediction: Chaffetz wins with between 56-57%.
Wilkey | 9:27 p.m. June 24, 2008
*** "Now, what will happen in Utah County??" ***

True about the absentees.

I'm operating off of vague recollection here, but I recall that in 2006 Cannondid better in Salt County than in Utah County.

Which means...

...it ain't like good for Cannon.

The biggest difference between this year and 2006?

I'd have to think that driving to the polls past those $4 a gallon gas signs ain't helping Chris.
I voted against Cannon | 9:29 p.m. June 24, 2008
and my husband voted against Chaffetz. I wish there had been someone worth voting FOR.
Deseret Dawg | 9:34 p.m. June 24, 2008
Good Golly Moses! Glenn Donnelson's getting his clock cleaned in the District 7 race. I figured he was done after he no-showed that June 13th debate, but I never dreamed it would be this bad.

Ryan Wilcox must be a pretty good candidate.

And now Cannon's down by 16 percent with 21 percent counted? Stick a fork in him, he's done as well.
Wilkey | 9:35 p.m. June 24, 2008
1) In the 3rd District, Salt Lake County actually has more votes than Utah County. This is because parts of Utah County (including Alpine, where Chaffetz actually lives, are in the 2nd District).

2) The vote in all the other counties only matter if the race is close.

3) In 2006 Cannon won running away in Salt Lake County. If Salt Lake County's not voting for Cannon, they he's not winning, and Salt Lake COunty shows Chaffetz up 60% to Cannon's 40%.

This is a great day for America. The worst thing that voters can do is show tolerance for a corrupt, out-of-touch Congress. Even if Cannon were a great guy (he isn't) voters are showing that questionable congressmen will get the pink slip. I have to think it doesn't bode well for the fall. The best we can hope for is that a lot of good legislation will be passed by a Congress full of folks desparate to keep their jobs.
Finally!!!! | 9:50 p.m. June 24, 2008
See you Chris!!! Ellis will win the Treasurer's race. Winds of change are coming!!!
DCF | 10:11 p.m. June 24, 2008
Ellis and Chaffetz. You just elected two Democrats in the GOP. Yes, finally, the right wing populists have taken over. What next, price controls? How about a national ID card to get all Hispanics? And since I also get this BS from you right wingers about the oil companies are you and Chaffetz going to form the Republicans for Obama chapter as well?
Re:DCF | 10:15 p.m. June 24, 2008
Go eat your sour grapes somewhere else. Some of us are grateful that the no-so-good 'good ol' way' is done and gone!
Winds of Change | 10:15 p.m. June 24, 2008
I hope Cannon is sent packing tonight. New blood is almost always a good thing. And if he is unseated, I hope it is just the start of a wave of change. (Not Obama's kind of change. I just can't believe in THAT kind of change.) Maybe Congress will remember who butters their bread.
RE:DCF | 10:27 p.m. June 24, 2008
Right now it seems that the voters really don't care that much about republican or democrat labels. I don't care if a politician calls himself a conservative socialist as long as he/she is moral, has ethics, and gets things back on track. Cannon was ineffective. The ruling Utah oligarchy had better take note.
Good RID - ance | 10:32 p.m. June 24, 2008
I enjoyed razzing Cannon at the recent parade in Orem. Even Utah can get a clue. Buh Bye Cannon. Buh Bye!
Good Riddance | 10:33 p.m. June 24, 2008
Good Bye amnesty boy!!!!! Maybe you can run for office in Mexico, that is whose interests you have looked out for the past six terms. Now lets go after the other amnesty hack,,,, Bob Bennett. He is an older relic than Cannon and alost as obnoxious. He is so far into the pocket of big business you can't even see his head.
Mark Eldridge | 10:38 p.m. June 24, 2008
Please kill me now...

I can't stomach Chaffetz. I never imagined the day when I would miss Chris Cannon, but oh that dark and terrible day has come. Heaven help us.
SeattleDem | 10:38 p.m. June 24, 2008
Well it's kind of ironic that Chris Cannon gets tarred by Mr. Chaffetz as a big liberal softy...since that's just how Cannon took the seat away from Bill Orton a few terms back. What goes around comes around!
Thanks for nothing | 10:47 p.m. June 24, 2008
Cannon's three greatest supporters were George Bush, Orrin Hatch, and Bob Bennett. No wonder he lost. People are fed up with the do-nothing presidency and congress. If Hatch or Bennett were running this year, they would be out, too.
Shoe on the Other Foot | 10:48 p.m. June 24, 2008
Mark Eldridge,

This is too rich. I never thought I'd say this...this is what a couple people have said to me,

...if you don't like the person your fellow constituents just voted for...... Why Don't You Just Move???
DCF | 10:50 p.m. June 24, 2008
You don't even know what populism is. Chaffetz is exactly what he needs to be to win. That has been his MO since he ran Dukakis for President way back when. Nothing changed accept for what he had to do to get ahead.

So is he going to give visas to all 20 million illegal aliens or will it be tents for all 20 million? Which one?
Anonymous | 10:59 p.m. June 24, 2008
*** "...if you don't like the person your fellow constituents just voted for...... Why Don't You Just Move???" ***

Ha!

To go off on a federalism tangent here - that's a perfectly reasonable and acceptable alternative. It's the great thing about federalism - you can states as different, politically, as New York and Utah. How awful it would be if the United States were, politically or any other way, on size fits all; if every law were made in Washington. It's a great way to keep the peace.
Anonymous | 11:02 p.m. June 24, 2008
What I love is that Cannon is out there saying he's "proud of how he served his constituents." If your constituents thought so they would've re-elected you. Psychologists would call that denial, and that ain't just a river in Egypt.
Freedom Rings | 11:05 p.m. June 24, 2008
Amen to Chris Cannon and his cronies! People actually DO have power; AND we can take power from the "so-called" powerful. This race proves that we really can STILL have a "government of the people, by the people, AND FOR the people." Senators Hatch and Bennett had better take NOTE! They are NEXT!
Wilkey | 11:06 p.m. June 24, 2008
*** "You don't even know what populism is. Chaffetz is exactly what he needs to be to win. That has been his MO since he ran Dukakis for President way back when. *** - DCF

Dude, the race is over - you can stop spreading lies now.

As for the whole Dukakis thing: do you still believe today every idiotic thing you believed 20 years ago? Every idiotic thing you believed in college?

If so it says more about you than it does about Chaffetz.

FWIW: I'm perfectly willing to believe Chaffetz might be a schmutz. That's why we have elections every 2 years. The point is, we all KNOW that Cannon is a schmutz. We do the best we can; perfection is seldom an option. The point is, keep your politicians on a very short leash, no matter who they are.
I can smell it... | 11:12 p.m. June 24, 2008
Change is in the air! In November let's clean house. No incumbents! If Chaffetz doesn't cut it he'll be gone in two years. No more entitlement plans for self annointed political hacks. The people want real leadership.
The only thing better | 11:16 p.m. June 24, 2008
The only thing that would make this Chaffetz win better would be for him to have real race against a Democrat for the November election. If that ever happens then we will know that things have truly changed.
Time to clean house!!! | 11:24 p.m. June 24, 2008
Bye bye Cannon, I do not think you will be missed (except of course by the special interest groups that paid for you).

Maybe votes do still count these days. Who is next? Hatch? Bennett?

I am so sick of the entitled attitude of our politicians in Washington.

Time to clean house!
Professor | 12:13 a.m. June 25, 2008
Go Chaffetz. If the whole country threw the bums out this year the people might get their voices back!
To Cannon Staffers | 12:19 a.m. June 25, 2008
It's time to quit posting on this board and start polishing up your resumes. I'm hoping that Chaffetz has enough sense not to hire a bunch of Cannon people, so you'd better look in the private sector. I hear there are plenty of decent jobs in the restaurant industry, assuming you have some foreign language skills.
Eskie | 12:25 a.m. June 25, 2008
"We the people" are sick of Chris Cannon talking out of both sides of his mouth - he's against illegal immigration/he's for amnesty. Chaffetz' victory is clearly a vote AGAINST special privileges and immunities for illegal intruders. I hope his brother Joe Cannon gets the message that many Utahns are tired of being preached at to have "compassion" at the expense of the rule of law and our Constitution. Besides, with Chris Cannon I don't believe it was so much about compassion as it was about campaign donations from those who benefit from illegals' cheap labor: the dairy industry, landscapers association, beer association, etc.

I hope the Republican National Committee is watching and figuring out they need to support candidates who are against illegal intruders in this country!

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Voters cast ballots at Bennion Junior High Tuesday in Taylorsville. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Voters cast ballots at Bennion Junior High Tuesday in Taylorsville.

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