Demo hopeful Edwards plans a June 1 fund-raiser in Utah

Utah will get its first visit from a 2008 Democratic presidential candidate next month when John Edwards comes to Salt Lake City for a fund-raiser and possibly a rally.

Edwards, a former North Carolina senator and his party's nominee for vice president in 2004, is expected to arrive in the state the afternoon of June 1 and stay through a fund-raising event scheduled from 6:30-8 p.m. at the The Depot, a private club at The Gateway.

He'll be the first Democrat running for the White House in 2008 to venture into what many consider the reddest of red — read Republican — states. Even Utah Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Holland said there's little chance the state will turn blue.

"I'm certainly not going to ruin my credibility by saying that, but all things are possible," he said when asked if Utah could end up in the blue-state category by choosing a Democratic presidential candidate in November 2008.

The Edwards campaign said there's a good reason their candidate is willing to come to Utah.

"Changing the direction of the country won't happen in only early states or in only blue states," Edwards spokeswoman Colleen Murray said. "Senator Edwards' support spans the entire country, and the excitement in Utah continues to prove that his appeal extends well beyond traditional Democratic strongholds."

Certainly, Utah Democrats are looking forward to the attention Edwards' appearance will attract.

"To have a presidential candidate and our former v.p. nominee here just excites the base and makes them see that, nationally, Utah is getting some attention," Holland said, and it's an opportunity to highlight "Democratic principles and our candidates" to a larger audience.

Holland said he's hoping Edwards will also hold a rally of some sort in Utah for "rank-and-file" party members who would be willing to work on behalf of a Democratic presidential candidate but may not be able to afford the fund-raiser's $500 minimum contribution.

"We're looking at what he might be able to do," Holland said. "Most presidential candidates come into a state and do a fund-raising event with donors who historically give larger contributions."

That was the case with the three Republican presidential contenders for the White House in 2008 who've already been to Utah, former Salt Lake Olympic leader Mitt Romney, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.