1996Flipped from DemocraticFinal results
1996 election for Utah's 3rd District
U.S. House · Utah
Christopher Cannon (R) won with 51.1% of the vote, defeating William Orton (D) by 3.9 points, a seat Democrats won last time.
Christopher CannonRepublican · winner
51.1%106,220
William OrtonDemocrat
47.3%98,178
Amy L. LassenLibertarian
1.1%2,341
Gerald "bear" SlothowerIndependent
0.3%706
John Phillip LangfordSocialist Workers
0.1%270
207,715 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1996
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
William OrtonChristopher Cannon
$696.6K
Raised by the campaign
$1.8M
$708.8K
Spent by the campaign
$1.8M
$13.1K
Cash on hand
$868
Other candidates' campaigns: Gerald "bear" Slothower $938.
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
Christopher Cannon (R)William Orton (D)
Also on the ballot: Amy L. Lassen (Libertarian), 1.1%; Gerald "bear" Slothower (Independent), 0.3%; John Phillip Langford (Socialist Workers), 0.1%