Western primary takes off — kind of

Not everyone is excited about the prospect of the Western states primary promoted by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

Feb. 5 is the date set for what backers hope will be a Western version of "Super Tuesday" during the 2008 presidential race. So far, only three states have committed to participate — Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.

Nevada was selected this summer by the Democratic National Committee to hold a caucus in January 2008, the same month that voters will gather in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina to register their presidential preferences at the polls or in party meetings.

Huntsman told participants at the Western Presidential Primary Symposium sponsored by the University of Utah's Center for Public Policy and Administration that even with just four of eight states in the region participating in the process early, Utah will benefit.

"We've never before forced the body politic, at least at a presidential level, to get smart about our issues," Huntsman said. For too long, he said, Utah and much of the rest of the West have been a fly-over zone for candidates seeking the nation's highest office.

The regional primary will attract candidates and their campaign spending to the state, the Republican governor said, as well as focus attention on regional issues such as water development, public land use and immigration.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson also spoke at the symposium in favor of the primary. "The West has a new voice and a real choice in the selection of the next American president," Richardson, a potential Democratic presidential candidate, said.

But several panelists at the symposium said that's not going to happen.

"This is a pretty small part of the country," said Lance Tarrance, a senior strategist for Straight Talk America, the political action committee organized on behalf of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a likely GOP presidential candidate in 2008.

The way to bring attention to the region, Tarrance said, is to focus on a Western state better-known to the Eastern media and political establishment. "I think there's some star appeal to Colorado," he said, suggesting it could "symbolize a lot of the new West."

Plus, the region tends to favor Republicans in presidential races, with a few exceptions. If the region isn't seen as competitive, candidates and media outlets trying to control costs aren't going to pay much attention, Tarrance said.

Eddie Mahe, a Washington, D.C.-based political strategist whose clients have included former Rep. Enid Greene, also suggested there would be little interest generated by a regional primary in the West.

"The more states you put in it, the less you're going to see of any of these candidates," he said, citing the great distances between population centers in the West. "They'll pick a state or maybe two states, and they'll invest all of their resources there."

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