Utahns may be electing a fourth U.S. House member on Feb. 5 when they go to the polls for the state's presidential primary, U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon said Friday.

"I think they have the votes in the (U.S.) Senate to pass the D.C./Utah bill," Cannon, R-Utah, told the Deseret Morning News' editorial board. The U.S. House has already passed a slightly different version of the bill.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has set Tuesday for a preliminary vote on the bill, which would give Washington, D.C., its first vote in the U.S. House in generations. The bill would also give Utah a fourth U.S. House seat.

The D.C. representative would almost assuredly be a Democrat, the fourth House member from Utah a Republican. And so the narrow split between Democrats and Republicans in the 435-member House would not change.

"I think (Utah) will get an at-large seat before" the 2008 elections, said Cannon.

"For the sake of seniority, we'd want to get our guy on board immediately," he added. Having a fourth member sworn in in early 2008 would mean that person would be at the head of the class of 2008 that is elected later in the year. That could mean the new Utah member would be in line for a committee chairmanship after six more terms or so.

And "earmarking" being what it is — where members grab cash for specific federally funded projects in their districts and states — "would mean a 33 percent increase in that kind of spending, something we don't want to lose," said Cannon.

Should Utah's new 4th District seat break out as Cannon predicts, it would make for some immediate and interesting local politics.

Utah House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, said he would be interested in looking at the race, adding: "But I haven't given it any critical thought." Curtis has a $200,000 campaign war chest, tops among GOP legislative leaders. But Curtis said he's not sure it could be converted into a congressional race.

"You would have to run a (congressional) race right in the middle of the Legislature — not easy," said Curtis. "But I'm not ruling it out."

Joe Hunter, Cannon's local chief of staff, said any Utah legislator(s) who ran for the at-large seat would find themselves campaigning during the legislative session, while facing a law that says lawmakers can't raise funds during the general session.

Lisa Roskelley, spokeswoman for Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., said while it makes sense to hold such a special election on the Feb. 5 presidential primary, saving the expense of funding another such election, it may take legislative action to change special election law to allow a congressional vote on that day.

Several GOP legislators have looked longingly at the Washington, D.C., voting rights bill, wondering what they might do if Utah got a fourth seat before the 2010 Census.