Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s endorsement of John McCain's presidential campaign has been a matter of curiosity among political junkies, most notably because his father, Jon Huntsman Sr., and the bulk of office-holding Republicans in Utah are backing Mitt Romney.

But the average Utah voter, it seems, isn't paying attention to these early campaign endorsements.

A Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll conducted by Dan Jones and Associates found that 91 percent of Utah Republicans polled, who have voted in a primary, say endorsements by Utah government officials will not impact how they vote. Among Utah Democrats who have voted in a primary, 83 percent of those polled said they feel the same way.

Gov. Huntsman has traveled to Iraq with McCain twice and has made out-of-state campaign appearances with him in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Idaho, Arizona and Florida. McCain did not make a Utah stop in the lead-up to Super Duper Tuesday, which ruled out a public appearance here that would include Huntsman, who said his approach at home has been a general "get out and participate" effort.

"It's a race where a lot of good ideas are being thrown around; where no doubt the long-term vision of the Republican Party is going to be influenced by the outcome," Huntsman said.

The fact that he and his father are riding "different political horses" is no surprise to Utah's political observers, "so this isn't an aberration," but it does make political discussions in the extended family circle a little more interesting. "He's my best friend and we talk often about all kinds of different things. The family is kind of scattered, depending on who you talk to," the governor said.

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is not only the only other executive-branch Utah official endorsing McCain but is the campaign's state chair.

He said Utah's winner-take-all primary and Romney's overwhelming support among Utah Republicans has the McCain campaign spending its resources elsewhere. "There is so much to do and so little money to spend. They (McCain's campaign staff) don't really see a chance here," Shurtleff said, projecting that he and the governor will have a higher profile in the campaigning process in Utah as the field of candidates narrows.

"We obviously want to get behind the Republican nominee," he said of the GOP-dominated state, but expending energy now in an attempt to lure Utah elected officials away from the Romney camp is likely to draw the reaction, "Why not just wait until Tuesday and see what happens."

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