Utah isn't on map for presidential candidates

Welcome to Utah, the Rodney Dangerfield of presidential politics.

Respect? We don't get it from Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Not even John McCain and Sarah Palin bother to drop into one of the most Republican states in the nation during the last months of the campaign.

The Democratic and GOP presidential and vice presidential candidates are flying over Utah so much they should be ashamed there hasn't been at least an hour stopover for the four at Salt Lake International.

Palin was in Nevada this past week. Maybe she looked down from 36,000 feet as she flew over Utah to Ohio, her next stop.

Obama has been to Elko twice the past few months. He could even spell it correctly for a New York Times reporter (who probably hasn't been in Utah this year, either).

No, we get the also-rans during the campaign end-game.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., will be here Saturday for a speech. It's $50 per head ($250 for a VIP seat), all the money going to the Utah State Democratic Party.

In fact, money seems to be the main reason any national candidates come here.

Mitt Romney, adored by many in the state, raised $5.4 million from Utahns.

Obama raised $1.3 million from those with Utah addresses. Considering he has no real chance of winning the state on Nov. 4, it is impressive that Obama raised more money here than McCain — who came in third at just over $1 million, the latest Federal Election Commission reports show.

All together, presidential candidates took $8.9 million out of Utah this year, the FEC says.

Utah's political leaders have been looking for a way to make the state at least mean something in presidential politics. But their efforts, which have cost taxpayers millions in special presidential primary expenses, have been mixed.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., an early supporter of McCain while most other Utah Republicans were backing Romney, says Utah is becoming more important — not only in presidential politics, but in many other ways as well.

"You don't see the (presidential or vice presidential) visits close to an election unless you are a battleground state," says Huntsman. And Utah is not that yet. But the West is changing, and as candidates visit Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado this year, Utah could be on that list "in 15 to 20 years," Huntsman believes. Those three states have seen population growth and changing demographics that could be coming here as well, he notes.