No doubt if they'd been there they would have been interviewed on TV or radio, quoted in newspaper stories. And Republicans would have had tailor-made clips for any anti-Matheson ads they may want to run later.

Republicans outnumber Democrats 2-to-1 in Utah. And in statewide and federal races, all GOP candidates have to do is run a good campaign of saying "I'm not a Democrat," and they have a leg up around here.

But even Utah Republicans are looking at New York with a troubled eye this year.

While Bush remains popular in Utah, some of his policies aren't. In the 2004 Legislature there was a real move by GOP lawmakers to get Utah out of Bush's No Child Left Behind federal education program. In fact, Utah likely would get out if it didn't mean the loss of $100 million in federal education money, cash the education-strapped state just can't give up.

Huntsman has joined the complainers, saying NCLB must be radically reformed.

Utah Republicans aren't big on accepting dissent; it might just be better to avoid a confrontation. There's also the chance New York could turn into a real anti-war disaster for the Republicans, with an estimated quarter of a million Iraqi War protesters on the way.

While there will not be the kind of disruption and violence Democrats found in Chicago in 1968 — New York City public safety officials say they are on top of this event — Republicans are clearly worried.

Huntsman, while a former trade ambassador for the Bush administration, is not running for national office. And a gubernatorial candidate doesn't have to get involved in issues — like an increasingly unpopular war — when he really wants to talk about local economic development and education reform.

Huntsman and the Mathesons say they decided to stay in Utah during their national conventions because they couldn't afford to take a week off from campaigning. Perhaps.

But I remember when Utah's primary was in September (it's now in June). Primary candidates in both parties still used to show up at their August conventions anyway, putting in at least a couple of days' fund raising among party bigshots, being interviewed by the local media (even the national media in some cases) and willingly anticipating being on the floor among their Utah delegation to cheer their presidential nominee.

It seems, at least in 2004, the national conventions are a place of political mud puddles for some Utahn candidates, not a national celebration of party values.

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Deseret Morning News political editor Bob Bernick Jr. may be reached by e-mail at bbjr@desnews.com