Five times now in seven elections he has run the gauntlet and, despite some close calls, has emerged unscathed. This year, in Jason Chaffetz, he is staring down perhaps his toughest fight.

But Cannon, Utah's senior House member, keeps plugging away, because, he says, he believes there is work to be done and his experience and seniority make him uniquely able to do the job.

"I worked for Ronald Reagan in the '80s and marvelous things happened. He was a great leader, and I really want those principles to be advanced in America," Cannon said.

Now in his sixth term, Cannon has shown himself to be equal parts brawler and bridge-builder, mixing it up with his Democratic opponents one minute, cutting a deal on legislation the next.

n n n

A scrapper: "I don't think there's anybody back there as scrappy as Chris," said Scott Simpson, a former executive director of the Utah Republican Party. "This is a guy who thinks about fighting the conservative fight 24-7."

Cannon touts his work on bills extending a moratorium on Internet taxation, helping prisoners transition back into society and expanding green card programs for doctorates in math and science as among his accomplishments in a Democratic Congress.

He also worked on legislation to rewrite bankruptcy laws, ensure water in Juab County and protect gun manufacturers and restaurants from liability lawsuits.

Now, as chairman of the House Western Caucus, he is looking to squeeze some of the 800 billion barrels of oil believed to be available in the oil shale rock in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado as a potential solution to the nation's energy crisis.

"What makes him tick? He truly wants to make a difference, make changes, make the world a better place. And I think he sees a lot of different opportunities a lot of different ways to enact change," said Todd Thorpe, who spent years as a Cannon staffer and now is a lobbyist in Washington.

After doing it as long as he has, Thorpe said he thinks Cannon "feels he's being really effective back here."

If he wasn't, he wouldn't put himself and his family through the rigors that come with congressional life, Thorpe said.

In his re-election bid, Cannon has won endorsements from Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett and President Bush.

But some long-time Cannon supporters are frustrated with the congressman, saying he has become part of the problem in Congress. State Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, backed Cannon every time he has run. Not this year.

"It's frustration. I've talked with Chris for hours on end about immigration issues and other issues and have found nothing but talk and no action," he said. "I think we've got critical issues in Congress that are being ignored and Chris is part of ignoring those."

As a politician, Cannon is about as smooth as a lava rock. His ideas get jumbled as he leaps from topic to topic and the words gush out in a flood of words that have, on occasion, landed him in hot water.

He said the Bush administration fired an acclaimed federal prosecutor because "he's an idiot." In 2006, he said that "precocious" teen-aged congressional pages may have been "egging on" a GOP House member who made sexual advances toward the youth. And he stated that the gunman in the Trolley Square shooting in 2007 had shouted "Allahu Akbar," Arabic for "God is great," as he gunned down his victims. He hadn't.

n n n

Playing defense: Despite his verbal gaffes, Cannon has stepped into a role he forecast on election night in 2006, becoming the "go-to guy" to defend the Bush administration from Democratic investigations, largely because of his positions on the House Government Reform and Judiciary committees.

He defended I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, who leaked the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame. He fought back against claims that the White House ran off disloyal U.S. attorneys and rebutted critics of private contractors accused of killing Iraqi civilians.

"I can't think of a serious [allegation] that was substantiated by any of the investigations by any of those committees," Cannon said, but "it is trying to have to spend your whole time defending against harshness and defending against accusations as opposed to making good policy."

It is a departure for Cannon who, as a freshman congressman, was one of the House prosecutors making the case for impeaching President Clinton.

Cannon says he has stayed true to the principles that got him elected in 1996, but he has grown as a congressman, learned more about the issues and how to get things done in the House and says he plans to "keep doing this until my influence ceases to rise."

"I think it's fairly clear my role and influence has increased in Congress, and I am hoping that this cycle . . . or maybe next cycle, Republicans take control and start doing things that help American people."