Cannon ousted in primary

Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) on Tuesday became the third House incumbent to lose a primary this year, falling to former gubernatorial aide Jason Chaffetz.

Chaffetz, a former chief of staff to Gov. Jon Huntsman (R), led Cannon 60 percent to 40 percent with 99 percent of precincts reporting. The race was called early Wednesday morning.

{mosads}Chaffetz beat Cannon at the state party convention last month, taking 59 percent of the vote and coming up just shy of the 60 percent needed to win the race outright. In the head-to-head primary, he used a meagerly funded grassroots effort to beat the incumbent, who had weathered tough primary challenges each of the past two cycles.

In February, Maryland Reps. Al Wynn (D) and Wayne Gilchrest (R) both fell to primary challengers.

Cannon’s district is strongly Republican, voting 77 percent for President Bush in 2004, meaning Chaffetz will be a huge favorite in the general election against Democrat Bennion Spencer.

Much of the opposition to Cannon has been based on his support for comprehensive immigration reform.

Chaffetz is also a former placekicker for Brigham Young University's football team.