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SALT LAKE CITY — U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon, one of the nation’s most conservative congressmen, lost his bid for a seventh term Tuesday in a Republican primary that focused on whether he was conservative enough for Utah’s 3rd District.

Cannon was defeated by first-time candidate Jason Chaffetz, a former Brigham Young University football player who served as chief of staff for popular Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman.

The lobbying group American Conservative Union said Cannon was nearly perfect on its issues in 2007, scoring 96 percent. But Chaffetz repeatedly pounded the incumbent, especially on immigration, and pledged to be even more conservative.

With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Chaffetz led 60 percent to 40 percent. Voter turnout was described as low.

“I think we have a mandate to help return the Republican Party to its core conservative principles,” he told The Associated Press after Cannon conceded defeat. “People were fed up and we empowered them to become involved and make the changes we need.”

Cannon, 57, had no immediate public comment on the election result.

Meanwhile, in Utah’s only statewide race, Richard Ellis defeated Mark Walker for the Republican nomination for treasurer. The race was mired by accusations of bribery. Walker repeatedly denied offering Ellis a raise to stay as deputy treasurer and drop out, but the allegation may have stuck with voters.

With 92 percent of precincts reporting, Ellis had nearly 60 percent of the vote.

In the congressional race, Chaffetz, 41, claimed Cannon was soft on immigration, saying his votes amounted to offering amnesty to people in the country illegally.

In 2003, Cannon sponsored a bill that would have allowed states to charge in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants.

Rather than deporting all illegal immigrants, Cannon has called for a guest-worker program that doesn’t punish businesses and allows immigrants to travel freely across the border.

Chaffetz said he wants the U.S. to deport all illegal immigrants and stop granting automatic citizenship to children born here if their parents aren’t legal residents.

He also attracted support in the largely suburban district by saying he wants to abolish the U.S. Education Department and cut a slew of federal programs unless they can prove they’re working.

Chaffetz will face Democratic candidate Spencer Bennion, a former television reporter, in the general election. In one of the nation’s most conservative districts, the ex-BYU kicker is expected to easily cruise to victory.

Chaffetz said his campaign will be no different this fall and his tough words will remain the same if voters send him to Washington.

“I’m going to tell it like it is. We’re in a crisis right now. The budget is out of control, immigration wasn’t taken care of, and gas is at $4 a gallon,” Chaffetz said. “We need new solutions.”

Cannon had hoped his name recognition, a large amount of campaign cash and a pool of more moderate voters would propel him again to the Republican nomination. An endorsement from President Bush, who still remains popular here, was also expected to help, as it did in 2006.

But this year, the political climate was different.

In 2006, Cannon “had a president that was much more popular that came to his aid,” said Quin Monson, a BYU political science professor. “You had a Republican Party riding high, controlling Congress and so on, and you had an economy doing better.

“He had all these factors working against him this time,” Monson said.

In the treasurer’s race, Ellis filed a complaint with the state elections office. Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, also a Republican, waited until polls closed Tuesday to announce that an investigation into bribery allegations is warranted.

The Utah Attorney General’s Office will handle any probe. Herbert said he waited until after the primary election because he didn’t want to influence the outcome of the GOP race.

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Not content to sit on the sidelines, longtime senator and one-time presidential hopeful Orrin Hatch has penned a song for his Senate buddy John McCain in hopes of helping his White House bid.

Hatch, a Utah Republican who won a platinum award for helping co-write lyrics for a song that sold more than a million records, crafted a tune called “Together Forever” for the presumptive Republican nominee.

Hatch’s song, co-written with composer Philip Springer, includes the lines: “Forever together / America is the land we’re fighting for / There’s a time in history / for a hero’s destiny / together forever more.”

Hatch, a former Mitt Romney supporter, has co-written songs for other well-known people, including a song called “The Difference Makes the Difference,” for Muhammad Ali and “Souls Along the Way,” for Sen. Edward Kennedy and wife Vicki.

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REPUBLICANS

John McCain: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma

Mitt Romney: Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Utah

Mike Huckabee: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, West Virginia

DEMOCRATS

Hillary Clinton: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee

Barack Obama: Alaska, Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah

STATE

Alabama: Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee

Alaska: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney

Arizona: Hillary Clinton, John McCain

Arkansas: Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee

California: Hillary Clinton, John McCain

Colorado: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney

Connecticut: Barack Obama, John McCain

Delaware: Barack Obama, John McCain

Georgia: Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee

Idaho (D): Barack Obama

Illinois: Barack Obama, John McCain

Kansas (D): Barack Obama

Massachusetts: Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney

Minnesota: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney

Missouri: Barack Obama, John McCain

Montana (R): Mitt Romney

New Jersey: Hillary Clinton, John McCain

New Mexico: TBD

New York: Hillary Clinton, John McCain

North Dakota: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney

Oklahoma: Hillary Clinton, John McCain

Tennessee: Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee

Utah: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney

West Virginia (R): Mike Huckabee

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Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney won 36 delegates in a winner-take-all sweep of Utah, while Barack Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primary.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, whose Mormon faith played a big role in his primary victory in Utah, won 36 delegates in a winner-take-all sweep, while Barack Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primary.

Romney had been expected to win Utah, where more than 60 percent of residents are also members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A former governor of Massachusetts and a favorite adopted son in Utah, Romney was chief of the Salt Lake Olympics in 2002 and owns a vacation home at Park City’s Deer Valley resort.
With 92 percent of Utah precincts reporting, Romney had 89 percent of the vote to Arizona Sen. John McCain’s 5.7 percent. About 90 percent of Republicans at Utah polls said they were Mormon and that Romney shared their values.
“Honestly, yes, I’m voting for him because he’s LDS,” said Laroy Whitmore, a 40-year-old construction worker from the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy.
“But I was impressed with the Olympics. I thought it was dead, but he came in and fixed it,” Whitmore added. “Clearly, he has the background and experience to lead our country.”
Romney also found favor with GOP voters who said the economy and immigration were their main concerns, according to exit polls conducted for The Associated Press.
“It’s always great when the people who know you best support you,” said Josh Romney, 32, one of the candidate’s five sons, who lives in Salt Lake City and works for a real-estate development firm.
On the Democratic side, Mormon voters also favored Obama, who is a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Utah Catholics were more likely to vote for Clinton.
Obama and Clinton were trading primary victories across the country in a competitive race that pleased about 100 of Obama’s supporters gathered at a sports bar in Salt Lake City.
“We’re thrilled every time we see a new number,” said Misty Fowler, a 30-year-old software developer, who never dreamed a year ago that Obama would have advanced so far.
“I think he will continue to inspire people to make the changes we need,” she said.
Overall, Obama had an edge with male voters in Utah, while women appeared evenly divided between him and Clinton, a New York senator.
With 92 percent of Utah precincts reporting, Obama had more than 56 percent of the Democratic primary vote to Clinton’s 39.5 percent.
Voters who described themselves as independents were more than twice as likely to vote for Obama, the survey found. People with an unfavorable opinion of former President Bill Clinton, who actively campaigned for his wife, were four times as likely to vote for Obama.
“There’s something going on with Obama,” said Utah Democratic Party spokesman Bill Keshlear, describing Obama’s appeal.
“It has to do with his youth, his message of hope and enthusiasm. Part of it is generational. A lot of people his age and younger who grew up with hip-hop culture are comfortable with an African-American as president,” he said.
Because of Romney’s overwhelming support among Utah Republicans and their winner-take-all primary, McCain’s campaign and that of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee have been all but absent in Utah.
Romney, by contrast, has made several fundraising appearances and ran television commercials here. He raised $5.2 million last year for his presidential campaign in Utah, making it his second-highest yielding state after California, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
For Jamelle Chadwick, a stay-at-home mother in Sandy, Utah, Romney’s Mormonism made the difference.
“The standards are important in leadership, like integrity, honesty and hard work,” she said, adding that Romney’s experience is another plus. “He knows how to solve problems.”

Obama, an Illinois senator, held a commanding lead with the state’s Democratic primary voters. Utah Democrats split their delegates by the popular vote.

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SALT LAKE CITY — With the race for presidential nominations close for both major political parties, Utah’s vote could count for something.

Utah, which has few national convention or electoral votes to offer, is among 24 “Super Tuesday” states holding presidential primaries or caucuses.

For both parties in Utah, plenty of candidates are on the ballot — including seven dropouts — but few are viable.

The Democratic side will be a battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Michelle Obama, the candidate’s wife, stumped in Utah on Monday and paid a visit to leaders of the Mormon church.

Utah Republicans will choose between Mitt Romney, a favorite adopted son, and Arizona Sen. John McCain, who is running second in the polls here — by a long shot.

Romney, a Mormon like more than 60 percent of Utah residents, ran the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games and owns a vacation home at Park City’s Deer Valley ski resort. He is a former governor of Massachusetts.

The most recent poll, published Sunday by the Deseret Morning News and KSL-TV, showed Romney favored by 84 percent of Utah’s registered Republicans.

And while Democrats across the country appear evenly split between Obama and Clinton, Utah Democrats decidedly favored Obama by 2-to-1, according to the same poll by Dan Jones & Associates. It had a margin of error of 6.5 percentage points.

Because of Romney’s overwhelming support among Utah Republicans and their winner-take-all primary, McCain’s campaign and that of Mike Huckabee have been all but absent in Utah.

Romney, by contrast, has made several fundraising appearances and is running television commercials here. He raised $5.2 million last year for his presidential campaign in Utah, making it his second-highest yielding state after California, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

Also appearing on Utah’s Republican ballot are dropouts Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson and Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado.

Election officials say they weren’t petitioned to remove the men from the ballot. The ballot also will list little-known GOP candidate Rep. Duncan Hunter of California.

Democratic dropouts John Edwards, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden will remain on their party’s Utah ballot.

That ballot also includes Frank Lynch of Tequesta, Fla., the Democrats’ most obscure candidate, who is advocating “free” universal health care, free college and free daycare.

Most Utah voters are unaffiliated, but at the polls on Tuesday they’ll have to pick a Republican or Democratic primary ballot to vote.

If they choose Republican, they’ll have to fill out a form to join the party before voting.

Utah Democrats don’t require primary voters to sign up with them. And they will allocate their delegates to the national convention according to the state vote, unlike the winner-take-all approach of Utah Republicans.

Utah didn’t hold a presidential primary election in 2004 when President Bush was clearly the GOP nominee, and the Republican-controlled Utah Legislature didn’t want to spend any money to help state Democrats hold a primary. Democrats organized their own primary that year, spending around $50,000 putting it on.

Utah has not voted for a Democratic president since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Utahns gave President Bush his largest majority of votes both in 2000 and 2004.

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SALT LAKE CITY — State election officials say the early voter turnout figures are well ahead of the last time Utah had a presidential primary.

The Lt. Governor’s office says so far the state is on pace for a turnout between 25 and 30 percent. That’s about the same as the turnout in the state general election in November.

The last time Utah held a presidential primary was 2000 and turnout was only around 10 percent. A spokesman for Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert says we’re already past that total.

The polls have been open since 7 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m.