Here's an image U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon's re-election campaign won't like: At the Springville Art City Days parade, Cannon supporters, all in matching navy blue "Cannon - U.S. Congress" T-shirts, follow a truck emblazoned with his campaign logo down the street. They toss candy and stickers to a group of people sitting in chairs along the parade route -- and every chair has at least two "John Jacob" balloons attached to it.

Jacob is challenging Cannon for the Republican nomination in Utah's 3rd Congressional District. He's betting that the metaphor will hold, that Cannon is offering goodies and policy points and impassioned arguments on turf that's already turned against him.

GOP voters will decide the race June 27. The winner will represent the party on November's general election ballot.

The race has attracted a lot of attention because of Cannon's involvement in the national illegal immigration debate and the fact that immigration has been almost the sole topic of discussion whenever the candidates get together.

The issue has played a significant role in Cannon's primary contests in the past. This year it is one of the few areas where differences have emerged between the two candidates, who actually have quite a bit in common.

Both are Utah natives and Utah County residents. Cannon was born in Salt Lake City and now lives in Mapleton; Jacob grew up in Lehi and lives in Eagle Mountain, where he and his wife have served on the City Council.

They both went to Brigham Young University. Cannon earned a bachelor's degree and law degree there, while Jacob earned an associate's degree and opted to sell real estate instead of pursue further education.

They both also boast a connection to former president and beloved conservative icon Ronald Reagan. Cannon was a Reagan-appointed attorney in the Department of the Interior through the mid-1980s, while Jacob found a path to being an air traffic controller after Reagan fired striking controllers in 1981.

Both men are also wealthy. Jacob, who reported a net worth of around $19 million, now runs John D. Jacob Companies, a water and property development enterprise. He also is the principle owner of e-learning company Makau Corp. and owns a large portion of Triwood Inc., which makes prefabricated moldings.

Cannon owns a venture capital firm, Cannon Industries, and listed his net worth on a recent disclosure form as a maximum of $7.5 million in 2005. He has been in Congress since 1996.

They've voiced equal loathing for the federal Department of Education and the No Child Left Behind Act. (Cannon voted for the act, but now says its confusing implementation shows the need "to get the federal government out of our classrooms.")

They are anti-gambling, anti-pornography and pro-Second Amendment rights, although it is Cannon who snagged the National Rifle Association's endorsement recently thanks to his legislative record. They both talk excitedly about Utah's energy resources, particularly the potential of oil shale development to create a boom for the state and region.

And even on immigration, they agree that the United States has a serious problem with border integrity and undocumented residents. But their disagreement over how to address the issue mirrors a split within the GOP.

Jacob has adopted an aggressive stance that puts a priority on having illegal immigrants leave the country, although he's also discussed a "fast pass" concept that would allow them back in if they had jobs and families waiting.

He's also been firm in his stance that businesses know, or should know, if they're hiring illegal workers.

"The concept that you have someone come in and you check their identification and you don't know whether it's true or not -- I don't believe it," he told a group of supporters recently. "I think it's strictly an excuse so they can hire someone at a lower wage so they can make more money."

Jacob recently came under fire for hiring a woman who was in the United States on her husband's student visa because she didn't have the necessary permission to work. He said he was giving the woman and her family money so her husband could complete his education, but she wanted to earn it.

As for the practicality of sending millions of people back to their respective countries -- not to mention the potential economic blow from losing workers -- Jacob said enforcing laws among employers would do the trick.

"I didn't bring 'em here, I don't know why we have to send 'em back. I think they can take themselves back," he said. "What we need to do is take the jobs away so that if they have to have a job, they need to be in their own country. We need to take away the welfare and the other things that they receive instead of having magnets here that draw them here."

Cannon doesn't disagree, but the approach he's supported includes an argument that the U.S. economy needs the largely Hispanic work force and any immigration reform -- in addition to beefing up border security -- must take an honest look at getting that population "out of the shadows."

"We have a huge disagreement here," he said. "That disagreement is whether the Republican Party is going to be some kind of new, xenophobic anti-foreigner party, or whether it will be the party of a country that is thrilled at the growth, where businesses grow, where businesses create new jobs.

"The balance here has to be between the reality of that lower class, that second class, that lower tier, that we currently have and creating a path for them to get out of that and participate as citizens. We don't want to end up in America with different classes of people -- 'OK, you can be here, but we don't acknowledge that you are here.'

"That's not acceptable for America."

Here are images Jacob's campaign won't like: Cannon at a February fundraiser with Utah's U.S. Sens. Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch -- and special guest Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Cannon listing his committee assignments in areas such as energy, drug policy and commercial and administrative law, or discussing a 10-year record representing Utah in Washington, D.C., or his leadership roles in groups like the Western Caucus, the Meth Caucus and the Center for the New West.

When it comes to the issues discussed in the race, Cannon said, "I've done massive things in all those areas.

"The question really becomes, who's going to be more effective on these issues? Absolutely, clearly, I've done important stuff for the Second Amendment. I've done very important stuff for energy. I've done what the federal government can do to help fund education in Utah."

Pointing to your record is one of the powers of incumbency, but that power is not without its downsides. After Jacob outpolled him 52 percent to 48 percent at the state GOP convention, Cannon acknowledged that the war in Iraq, gas prices, concerns about government spending and other issues had made the electorate restive, which puts him on the hot seat.

"The question really comes down to platitudes vs. a history of success," he said.

Jacob and his supporters marched in the Springville parade too, and he had a different message for the assembled crowd.

"We need your vote on the 27th!" he cried over and over. "You can make a change in America!"

Chris Cannon

Age: 55

Profession: congressman

Hometown: Mapleton

Education: bachelor of science, law degree from BYU

John Jacob

Age: 54

Profession: business owner

Hometown: Eagle Mountain

Education: associate's degree, BYU