This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
WASHINGTON - Rep. Chris Cannon's road to re-election appears to be bumpy if campaign cash is any indication.
The Republican incumbent in Utah's 3rd Congressional District trails one of his challengers, according to financial disclosures released Monday.
David Leavitt, a Nephi attorney and brother of former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, has $95,000 in available money for his bid for the Republican nomination, which is more than twice the amount in Cannon's campaign account.
Cannon's other GOP challenger, Jason Chaffetz of Alpine, has $35,000 in the bank.
Cannon campaign manager Nathan Rathbun said the congressman was in a similar position in his last campaign and brushed off the challengers' fundraising as standard fare.
"We will have a sufficient amount of money there to run a race regardless of who the challenger is," Rathbun said.
Utah's other two House Members - Rob Bishop and Jim Matheson - have no challengers so far. Still, Matheson, a four-term Democrat who has been in some tough battles in the past, has $753,000 in the bank and he promises to raise even more.
"I'm always aggressive about raising money," he said.
Brigham Young University political scientist Quin Monson wonders why Cannon doesn't exhibit the same fund-raising drive as Matheson.
"I've never understood why he is not more aggressive," Monson said. "He has faced several primary challenges and every time they get more aggressive, more organized, more serious."
In the 2006 race, Cannon beat out businessman John Jacob 56 percent to 44 percent in the Republican primary before going on to trounce Democrat Christian Burridge. Much of Jacob's campaign largess came from his own pockets, which many political observers believe is a less serious threat than someone who is able to raise money from others to take on an incumbent.
Chaffetz and his family gave his campaign $4,800, while Leavitt and his family have donated $39,000 so far. Most of their money has come from individuals.
Chaffetz's backers include NuSkin executives and David Huntsman, vice chairman of the Huntsman Corp. and brother of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. Chaffetz used to work for the company that sells beauty products and he previously served as Huntsman's chief of staff.
Leavitt, who lost his re-election bid as Juab County attorney following his successful prosecution of polygamist Tom Green, has the financial support of Zions Bank executives and developer Dell Loy Hansen among others.
The early backing these candidates have received "shows that they are viable," Monson said.
Cannon has raised $284,000 since his last re-election victory, but only $6,000 of that has come from Utah sources - a point Chaffetz was quick to pounce on.
"No doubt Mr. Cannon is popular with the special interests in Washington, D.C., but I want to create a grass-roots organization in Utah," he said.
Rathbun said Cannon will take part in some fundraisers in his district. Leavitt wouldn't talk about his future fund-raising goals, while Chaffetz said he doesn't expect to raise as much money as the other candidates.
"I am going to focus more on interacting with delegates," he said.
Leavitt has just started to talk to delegates as well. He said he will focus on being a statesman and a fiscal conservative.
The 3rd District is overwhelmingly Republican. Challengers will have their first shot at Cannon in the convention. If no candidate can gain 60 percent of the delegate votes, it will go to a primary.
Monson would be surprised if Cannon doesn't find himself in another primary. And he said part of the reason for Cannon's frequent intra-party challenges can be found in exit polling he has helped conduct.
"Cannon doesn't seem to connect with his voters," Monson said. "He doesn't seem to make the same effort [as Matheson]. I'm not sure if it is personality or past statements or they just don't hear from him as much."
It is still very early in the 2008 race and Cannon could easily use his incumbent status to get donations in a hurry, Monson said.
Rathbun hinted at as much, saying challengers must "be out in front" early to try to build credibility, while Cannon can be patient.
"They are not as well known."