Earlier Primaries Advocated In West

More Western states should follow Arizona’s lead and hold their primaries earlier in the year, Utah Gov. Michael Leavitt says.

The result could be a Western Super Tuesday which would give the Rocky Mountain region real clout in the presidential election for the first time, Leavitt said in remarks published Sunday by Tribune Newspapers.

Leavitt, a Republican, wants Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico to set their primaries on the same day as Arizona’s, which this year is Feb. 27.

“As a region, the Mountain West is pretty well ignored in presidential politics, except in states like Arizona that have moved their primaries to earlier dates,” Leavitt said in a proposal circulated to Western lawmakers.