Primary race exciting and surprising

In time, the 2008 primary season may be viewed as an important facet in the always interesting relationship between our community and the rest of the country.

Webb: Don't count Romney out yet. In fact, don't count out any of the top contenders in either party. All of them can paint plausible paths to victory. This race is as wide open and unpredictable as ever.

The race is turning out to be even more fun and exciting than anticipated. It's also becoming a national race, as it should be. Iowa and New Hampshire didn't crown any nominees, and attention now turns to much bigger states with far more delegates. This is the way a presidential nomination race should play out, with voters in a wide variety of states having a real impact, instead of just a couple of small states.

Utah's votes might even be meaningful in the Super Tuesday Feb. 5 contest, especially if it's close, when more than 20 states will hold primaries or caucuses, and more than half the delegates needed for nomination will be awarded.

On the GOP side, powerhouse candidate Rudy Giuliani now becomes a factor. Four solid candidates, Romney, John McCain, Mike Huckabee and Giuliani, will be dividing the votes, with Fred Thompson still thinking he has a shot with a southern strategy.

Clearly, the next couple of primaries, especially Michigan, are critical for Romney. A win in Michigan positions him well, although second place doesn't knock him out entirely. He can continue with a few more second place finishes, as long as different candidates are winning first place, so no one has major momentum.

One of Romney's strengths has always been his ability to compete in most states, while other Republicans have to be more selective. Romney has solid organizations in many states and will have the financial resources to compete, especially if he drops in more personal money.

Candidates who make it to the Feb. 5 Super Tuesday showdown face overwhelming strategic and organizational challenges. With nearly two dozen states in play dispersed across the country, each with individual political dynamics, deciding where the candidate makes personal appearances, how much money to spend in each state, what messages to deliver, how to allocate advertising dollars, etc., will be a real test of campaign prowess.

If Romney loses, it won't be only because of the Mormon issue. The reality is, Romney does sometimes come across as too programmed, too wonkish, too data-driven, and he's pandered too much to the far right. We haven't seen enough of the real Mitt Romney, who can be human, friendly and approachable. He needs to connect to voters in a personal way. We need to see more of his heart, not canned responses from the focus groups.

This race is just getting started, and it's going to be fun watching.

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Republican LaVarr Webb was policy deputy to Gov. Mike Leavitt and Deseret News managing editor. He now is a political consultant and lobbyist. E-mail: lwebb@exoro.com. Democrat Frank Pignanelli is Salt Lake attorney, lobbyist and political adviser. A former candidate for Salt Lake mayor, he served 10 years in the Utah House of Representatives, six years as House minority leader. Pignanelli's spouse, D'Arcy Dixon Pignanelli, is a Utah state tax commissioner. E-mail: frankp@xmission.com.