Seeking to gain clout for the Western mountain states, Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson and Utah’s Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. have teamed up to create simultaneous Western-state presidential primaries and caucuses in 2008 to be held in early February.

Richardson and Huntsman say they have the state of Arizona on board for the Western presidential contests, which would take place Feb. 5, 2008. Both said they are urging other mountain West governors to follow suit.

“For too long, the West has been a flyover region, and Western issues have not been emphasized,” Richardson said at a joint news conference with Huntsman.

“We are tired of being irrelevant in presidential politics,” the Utah governor said. “Not only Utah, but the whole inland mountain region.”

Richardson and Huntsman said the simultaneous primaries and caucuses of Western states would help make Western issues — land use, water, education funding, nuclear waste and economic development — part of the national political dialogue.

Both Richardson and Huntsman stressed that the bipartisan nature of their effort could make it successful, as opposed to past efforts to establish an early Western primary, which weren’t bipartisan.

New Mexico state Republican Party Chairman Allen Weh also appeared at the news conference to lend his support of the idea.

Referring to Richardson’s presidential ambitions, Weh said, “I realize that this might be an advantage to a Western governor who wants to be president . But we’ve got to look at the long-term benefits. In the future, there may be a Western Republican governor running for president.”

A Western Republican U.S. senator, John McCain of Arizona , is frequently mentioned by national pundits as a possible candidate for president in 2008.

Also in Santa Fe for the announcement was a bipartisan delegation of Utah legislators and the state chairmen of Utah’s Democratic and Republican parties.

New Mexico already has a law that allows state parties to hold presidential-preference caucuses in early February. Republicans in 2004 declined to hold a presidential caucus because President Bush was unopposed for the nomination.

But Democrats held a presidential caucus last year. Lt. Gov. Diane Denish said the contest attracted more than 50 visits from Democratic contenders.

A Richardson spokesman said Tuesday that New Mexico wouldn’t have to change any law if it kept the caucus system — which Democratic leaders last year described as a partyoperated primary.

Weh said he thinks the parties, rather than the state, should pay for the caucus or primary.

A spokeswoman for Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano said Tuesday that Napolitano agreed with the idea of a Western primary last year at the Western Governor’s Conference in Santa Fe and that her view hasn’t changed.

Leaders of other Western states expressed interest in the primary plan.

Arizona, prior to the 2004 election , moved its presidential primary up to early February. It was on the same day as New Mexico’s presidential caucuses last year.

Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn, a Republican, said Tuesday that he supported a Western presidential primary and would recommend that his successor ask legislators in 2007 to approve the proposal.

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer “is generally supportive of any measure that would bring attention to the issues of the West,” said Sarah Elliott, a spokeswoman for the Democratic governor. “However, so far the Montana Legislature has not approved the idea or the necessary funding.”

The Montana Legislature rejected a proposal earlier this year that would have moved the state’s presidential primaries from June to February or March.

Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, a Republican, “likes the idea of a regional primary and he looks forward to seeing what the governors propose,” said his spokesman , Mark Salley.

However, Huntsman said Tuesday he’s not counting on Colorado. Most political leaders in there are spending more time and energy on a proposed taxpayer’s bill of rights, he said.

Michael J. Stratton, a Colorado political consultant who has worked for Richardson, is a member of a commission appointed by the Democratic National Committee to look at the presidential-primary calendar.

Stratton, who attended the news conference, told reporters that the commission agreed to a plan that would allow at least two other states to move up their primaries to January, close to the dates of the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. One of those states would be a Western or Southwestern state, Stratton said. This wouldn’t preclude other Western states from having a Feb. 5 regional primary, he said. Material from The Associated Press was used in this report. Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican .com.