New Hampshire could boost Utah primary

Tuesday's victory for Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry in the New Hampshire Democratic primary could create more interest in Utah's upcoming Democratic primary, local party leaders say.

Utah Democrats will go to libraries and college campuses around the state to name their choice for the party's presidential nominee on Feb. 24, before some of the nation's biggest states hold their "Super Tuesday" primaries March 2 and 9.

"I think it's very much a race. I think it's good for the party," said Todd Taylor, a former state Democratic party leader who's backing retired Gen. Wesley Clark. Taylor believes Utah's primary could attract national attention.

"Utah very much could be a focus nationally," he said, especially if Kerry's campaign falters under the scrutiny of his new frontrunner status. Taylor said it's likely then that the candidates will campaign in Utah.

So far, only Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who trailed well behind the pack in New Hampshire, is scheduled to make an appearance in Utah, on Feb. 19, just days before the state's primary.

But the race to become the Democratic nominee could be over as soon as Feb. 3, when the next round of primaries will be held, at least according to Salt Lake County Councilman Joe Hatch, co-chairman of Utahns for Kerry.

Still, Hatch said Tuesday he'd like to see the candidates battle it out long enough to ensure Utah's Democrats feel a need to cast their votes. The state, after all, sends 29 delegates to the party's national convention compared to 22 in New Hampshire.

"I want this to be a fight because I want a big turnout," Hatch said.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who lost to Kerry in New Hampshire after finishing third in last week's Iowa caucuses, has been seen as the frontrunner in the Utah race. That's not likely to change, the head of his campaign here said.

"I think he'll be in the race all the way to the end. He's a scrapper. He won't give up," said Peter Corroon, who's also Dean's first cousin. "He's still the candidate with the most commitment and the most passion."

It's likely there won't be more than three or four candidates still in the race by the time Utah's primary rolls around. Any Utahn at least 18 years old will be able to participate in the election, which is being run by the party, even if they are not registered to vote.

The former boss of the 2002 Winter Games, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, predicted on CNN earlier Tuesday that fellow Republican George Bush will re-take the White House come November. Romney is considered a possible GOP presidential candidate for 2008.

"I do expect it'll be really, really close," Romney told the cable network.

As for Kerry, who campaigned on behalf of Romney's Democratic rival in the Massachusetts governor's race two years ago, Romney labeled him a "good man but not the man we want to lead the country."

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