By Arie Dekker
A coordinated 2008 presidential primary in Utah, New Mexico and Arizona could attract presidential candidates to visit the state and address western issues.
“For so long, Utah has been overlooked in the presidential nomination process,” said Mike Mower, deputy chief of staff to Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.
To counteract this trend, Huntsman signed a bill last March to provide funding for an earlier primary, intended to draw presidential hopefuls westward, Mower said.
Eight Western states with similar interests had originally discussed the possibility of holding a simultaneous primary.
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, wants his state to join a Western primary but must wait for the state legislature to convene in January in order to introduce a bill to hold earlier elections, said Adam Findley, Schweitzer”s spokesman.
“[A western primary] brings the issues of Western states earlier in the national stage,” Findley said.
With three states so far agreeing to hold a primary on Feb. 5 and Nevada voting one week earlier, Mower said, “we feel that Western issues will now be on the [presidential candidates”] map.”
Because Western states tend to have smaller populations and hold later primaries than northeastern states, candidates traditionally focus their attention eastward on such states as Iowa and New Hampshire. It is believed an early lead in these states gives candidates momentum that carries through subsequent primaries.
Sven Wilson, director of the BYU Master of Public Policy program, said he was skeptical about the extent to which a combined primary would alter the national debate. He said the national debate would likely focus on taxes, education, the economy and social issues as usual.
Mower said candidates who seek local press coverage during their campaign visits must be aware of local issues in addition to national ones. The classic example is ethanol production in Iowa, he said. Similarly, candidates campaigning in Utah should be apprised of western issues such as natural resource development, public lands and water, Mower said.
To be conducted Feb. 5, the Western primary will follow votes in Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Wilson said the relatively small number of states involved in the Western primary could benefit Utah, increasing the likelihood that a presidential candidate would campaign in Utah instead of just visiting a neighboring state.
