| Just like Washington, D.C,
has its "Beltway" — a perspective from which those
inside tend to view the world — the Rockies have
a similar feature, which you could call the "Rockyway."
It might stretch from the plains east of the Rocky Mountains
to the Washington, Oregon and California state lines.
One of the biggest buzz issues inside the Rockyway
right now is the idea of a Western primary, where up
to eight states would hold presidential primaries or
caucuses on the same day early in 2008, currently planned
for February 5th. The idea isn't necessarily a new one,
but is enjoying a revival, mainly because of a growing
contingency of active elected officials and party
leaders.
New Mexico Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson and Utah's
Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. are both behind the
idea and are planning to coordinate simultaneous state
presidential primaries and caucuses in early 2008. Republican
Idaho
Gov. Dirk Kempthorne has expressed some interest,
as has Democratic Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano. Democratic
leaders from Colorado and Republican Nevada
Gov. Kenny Guinn have also said they are interested.
The idea gained traction at the recent Democratic National Committee meeting in Phoenix. There, Democrats
for the West encouraged the national party to adopt
the idea. Organization leaders circulated a petition
(also available online through Dec. 15) seeking support
for an idea. The primary is also supported by the Western
Governors' Association.
From inside the Rockyway, the idea makes a lot of sense.
As the region grows in population and diversity, it
seeks to graduate from its "flyover" status into a region
with real clout in the country. Its issues are national
— most notably immigration, energy development
and urban growth — and its leaders are commanding
more attention across the country. Many Democratic governors,
such as Montana
Gov. Brian Schweitzer, have become examples for
the rest of the party seeking to emulate the populist
leader model. And though he hasn't publicly admitted
it, yet, New Mexico's Richardson
is acting like a contender for the Democratic presidential
ticket in 2008.
So how does the idea look from outside the
Rockyway? Except for interest from Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, who may decide to run for president,
it hasn't fully caught on yet. (Romney is a leader in
the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and would surely
benefit from a primary in LDS-strongholds Utah, Idaho
and Arizona.)
Romney's announcement on Dec. 14 that he
would not run for re-election, has fueled speculation
that the conservative from a "blue" state
would make a presidential bid.
There is another force at work here though, which could
benefit the idea. The Republicans haven't chimed in
much yet, but the Democrats are making noise that the
primary structure needs tweaking. The two early events,
a primary in New Hampshire and a caucus in Iowa, focus
too much attention on two states that don't represent
that party's growing diversity in population and issues.
Leaders of that party want to broaden the primary season
and geography so that more issues and different people
are represented earlier on. Most
absent, they say, are Westerners, Southerners and
Hispanics.
During the past election, more states held their primaries
earlier, but that just seemed to clutter the season
and didn't make much difference. Instead, adding a few
key states either between the New Hampshire and Iowa
events or right after, might force the diversity of
people and issues to bubble up to the surface more.
The key for proponents of a Western Primary is that
one or more Western states have a shot at these influential
slots. After last week's meeting, it seems Nevada
stands the best chance, but Arizona and Colorado might
also be considered.
The big appeal for Nevada is its booming population,
including its Hispanic population. The state also hasn't
formally joined the push for a collective regional primary
on the same day, making it more independent from the
idea. (Colorado hasn't joined that cause, either.)
Perhaps the Democrat's biggest ally is Colorado's Michael
Stratton, a member of a Democratic Party commission
charged with reviewing and making recommendations on
changes to the primary structure. Stratton was at the
DNC meeting in Phoenix promoting a Western Primary and
handing out the petition.
He's also quoted on the Democrats
for the West Web site as saying, "The future of
the Democratic Party lies out West, because it's home
to some of the fastest growing areas in the country.
The Democratic Party needs to put western issues and
western values out-front. That means talking about the
things that are important to communities in the Rocky
Mountain region — energy, water rights, natural
resources…"
It also means bringing those issues from inside the
Rockyway to inside the Beltway, which is something most
Westerners would support — or would they?
Tell
us what you think.
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