"I always thought it weird that Weber County is the only county in the state that doesn't pick state delegates" in neighborhood caucuses, he said. But Karras said he didn't object when it was suggested Weber County change to mirror the rest of the state by picking state delegates in mass meetings and didn't care if they picked state delegates in the county convention.

But Chaffetz said with 249 state delegates — the fourth-highest number of the 29 counties — how Weber County picks its GOP delegates is important.

"We're talking about 7 percent of all the state delegates" coming from Weber County. "It can make a difference" in a close, multi-candidate GOP race, Chaffetz said.

"Picking the delegates in the county convention helps those campaigns that are not as organized. We've been organizing for the mass meetings for seven months. The way Weber County is doing it helps the late-comers," he said.

Under that thinking, Walker could benefit. The governor announced a week ago she's in the 2004 race. She added she knows she starts behind other GOP candidates, some of whom have been running for a year. And she said she'll count on "a lot of volunteers" to help her get state delegates to the May 8 state GOP convention.

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