Women gain most if Obama wins, Pelosi says

DENVER — Women have the most to gain by electing Barack Obama president and Joe Biden vice president, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday at the opening press conference of the Democratic National Convention.

Pelosi, a Democrat from San Francisco, and the other three co-chairwomen of the convention — Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Texas state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte — spoke much about how Denver was picked for the national convention city because Democrats are making great strides in the West.

And Western women are a big part of that, they said.

However, Utah women must be behind the political curve, because Republicans still rule in the Beehive State.

In fact, in various presentations being made at this convention — which starts officially at 3 p.m. today — by the Western Majority Project, Utah isn't listed among the Western states with a Democrat resurgence.

One of the leaders of that project, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, told the Deseret News that other Western states have made greater strides in electing Democrats than Utah.

"But more and more people in the West are not looking at party titles, but at individuals," she said. She said that she has not tried to run away from the national Democratic Party — seen as more liberal than many Westerners — "But I go my own way, and I don't agree with the party 100 percent of the time." That's a statement that could be made by many Utah Democratic candidates.

Asked if she has tried to moderate the Arizona Democratic Party platform to make it easier for Democrats to get elected in her state, the governor said: "I'm not involved in the state platform. I'm busy running the state."

Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., said, "Utah is where we (Colorado Democrats) were 10 years ago. In 1998, I was the only Democrat elected statewide. Today, that has changed in a very comprehensive way," with Democrats controlling the governorship, Legislature, U.S. Senate seats and other key offices.

He said if Colorado Democrats can make such strides, so can Utah Democrats by electing pragmatic problem solvers. Salazar said national Democratic leaders looking at rebuilding in the West, including himself, "will never forget Utah" — and said it shares the same concerns as others in the West on issues from water to energy.

Still, while hundreds of national Democrats are in town this week, you won't find Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah. Matheson has not attended a national Democratic Party convention since he was elected in 2000. And he's staying home in Salt Lake City this year as well, saying he wants to campaign and take his son to his first day of fourth grade this week.

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