"I am very concerned about that," Utah Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Holland said. He said it's important that Utah's minority party send as many delegates as possible to the national convention to network with their counterparts from other states.

So far, Holland said, his party hasn't decided whether to support the proposed primary. But he said the idea is interesting. "I think it would be a great opportunity for Utahns to get an idea what our national issues are," he said.

Both Holland and GOP state chairman Joe Cannon said they believed the primary would be an economic boost to the state. "It's a very cheap price to pay for the kind of publicity you'd get," Cannon said.

And for the attention. "When you're a bunch of red (Republican-leaning) states in the West, there's not a reason to have significant attention paid to you," Cannon said. An early, multiple-state primary is "a reason for candidates to come out."

Whether that benefits both major political parties in Utah remains to be seen. Democrats say appearances by their party's national candidates could energize their party. Republicans suggest Democrats here could be hurt because national candidates tend to be more liberal.

That also may be hurting the chances of signing some states up for the primary: About half the region's governors are Democrats. However, at least one of them, New Mexico's Richardson, is himself a possible presidential candidate.

Richardson's deputy chief of staff, Billy Sparks, said the regional primary would still be a success even with only three states. "Every state makes their own decisions," he said. "The goal is to have as many states that want to participate."

In 2004, Sparks said, New Mexico's Democratic caucus in early February created several hundred jobs. And he said the state, seen as going either Democratic or Republican in the national presidential election, attracted 50 candidate visits compared to just 10 in 2000.

"Gov. Huntsman is very enthusiastic," Sparks said. "Having a bipartisan approach will assist in pushing the idea. . . . The idea truly puts the West in the center of national dialogue where it should be."

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