Utah GOP to begin public campaign

But the resolution isn't binding, which means it's possible delegates Romney intended to go to McCain could vote for someone else, like Ron Paul. In other states, Paul supporters have been able to slot delegates that were freed up by Romney. The tactic even led the Nevada Republican Party to suspend the completion of their convention, held in April, indefinitely.

The issue of illegal immigration is also scheduled to come up at the convention. Delegate and Utah House candidate Robert Wren — he is running in District 54 against David Labrum and Kraig Powell — hopes those attending conventions will approve his proposal to add opposition to "illegal immigration and all forms of amnesty, or legal status for illegal immigrants" to the state GOP platform.

"In general, the Republican Party delegates want something done across the nation about illegal immigration," Wren said. "They are tired of the federal government not doing anything."

Still, Wren acknowledges the issue is a divisive one among conservatives. A similar resolution he presented at the last convention never got a vote. More recently, the conservative Sutherland Institute issued a statement favoring an approach of integration and legalization.

Jorge Arce-Larreta, a GOP delegate and member of the Utah Republican Hispanic Assembly, says he supports Bush's attempt last year to implement a comprehensive approach including a new guest worker system.

"To say we don't support anything that will be conducive to making illegal persons legal in the United States is contrary to what (Bush) proposed," Arce-Larreta said.

Still, Wren is optimistic, in part because of the passage of SB81 in the last Legislature. That bill, which takes effect in July, 2009, is aimed at preventing undocumented immigrants from obtaining jobs or public benefits.

"What I'm proposing is not off the wall, right wing, wacko stuff," Wren said. "It is mainstream, what people want done, they want the situation corrected.

Meanwhile, state party bosses want to remind Utahns why they've voted Republican for years.

Party leaders have faced criticism this election season as a number of GOP candidates and their supporters claim the party bosses favored incumbent Republicans, especially in a number of intra-party legislative races.

But despite the complaints, in county Republican conventions those incumbents have mostly won renomination — out of dozens of races only Reps. Bud Bowman, R-Cedar City, and Aaron Tilton, R-Springville, were defeated by challenging Republicans.

GOP state party chairman Stan Lockhart will submit a resolution before state delegates Saturday that outlines "what Republicans believe." It echoes what he told the Salt Lake County GOP convention last Saturday, that "it is not by accident" that Utah is one of the best managed states in the nation and that a number of Utah communities are rated as fine places to live and raise a family.