A number of "conservative" Utah Republicans, especially some legislators, are glad to see GOP Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. sail off to the West and become ambassador to China.

But these conservatives should be careful what they wish for.

The departure of Huntsman, who must be considered a moderate Republican with a growing national reputation, and the elevation of Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert to the top post, a man the conservatives view as one of their own, could turn out to be an opening for the Utah Democratic Party.

While it is true that around 45 percent of Utahns consider themselves Republicans (as measured for some time by pollster Dan Jones & Associates), only 29 percent say they are "strong" Republicans, only 25 percent say they are "very conservative."

The right wing in Utah, while well represented in the Legislature and among GOP delegates, is, in fact, a minority among the voting public.

Because of Utah's unique hybrid candidate nominating system — GOP candidates are voted on first in either a county or state convention, then go to a closed party primary and finally to the general election — Republican candidates ending up on the November ballot are often the more conservative of the lot.

Given a choice between a Republican, Democratic or third-party candidate, the average Utahn more often than not picks the Republican, especially in a race like the Legislature where the voter may not know much, or anything, about the candidates.

But give the voters a well-known moderate candidate, from either major party, and there can be shakeups.

I say "can be," for in those big races, Republicans have, in the past, done a pretty good job of moving their most reasonable candidates to the top.

Some examples: Former GOP Gov. Norm Bangerter, who considered himself a conservative, suggested the largest tax hike in the state's history in 1987, in major part to give more money to public education (and, while re-elected, paid a heavy political price for doing so).

Former GOP Gov. Mike Leavitt also considered himself a conservative (the conservatives didn't), and while he was wildly popular among general Utahns, when Leavitt ran for a third term he was booed at the state GOP convention and forced into a party primary (which he won easily) with an unknown conservative.

Huntsman, likewise, ran as a conservative. But in a Deseret News interview just before his ambassadorship was announced, Huntsman declined to say he was a conservative or a moderate (odd he didn't jump on the "conservative" title), saying he was a guy who tried to make common sense decisions.