CHEYENNE - Tens of thousands of Democrats will gather this week for the Democratic National Convention in Denver, 100 miles south of the Wyoming border.jared.miller@trib.com.

The party will crown a nominee for the 2008 presidential race, Barack Obama, and also try to radiate political energy into the Rocky Mountain West, an area once dominated by the Republican Party but now turning shades of purple in some places.

The question in very conservative western states like Wyoming is whether the nearby convention will translate into momentum for Wyoming Democrats - or will the state's heavily Republican leanings shield it from the partisan buzz?

"Did it generate any excitement in Wyoming when the (Colorado) Rockies made it to the World Series last year? Did Wyoming people pay attention?" said Steve Welchert, a Democratic political consultant based in Denver. "I suspect the convention will have a similar impact."

The state's nearly 138,000 registered Republicans vastly outnumber the 61,000 Democrats. But the state Democratic Party has been showing signs of life lately - partly because of its own efforts, partly by luck.

The state party has expanded its paid staff in recent years, a result of national Party Chairman Howard Dean's 50-state strategy.

The state party also held its county caucuses in March this year, attracting Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton, who were battling for Wyoming's 18 Democratic delegates.

Now the national party convention is heating up just a few miles down the road, and there is hope among state party members that it could signal deeper changes for the political landscape here.

"There is no doubt in my mind that people are fired up," said Leslie Petersen, a former Teton County commissioner and longtime Democratic Party member. "We've got hard evidence of the interest here."

Petersen noted that Teton County Democrats raised $450,000 for the Obama campaign at an Aug. 8 fundraiser that attracted more than 500 people. She said the convention's proximity to Wyoming will add to the momentum.

"It's not in one of those Eastern places that nobody cares about or understands," Petersen added.

State party Executive Director Bill Luckett said the Democratic Party has been making inroads in the West, and the selection of Denver for the convention was a symbolic gesture to the region.

The result has been a wave of enthusiasm that began during the March caucuses and could carry through to the November election season, he said.

"It just keeps the excitement turned up to 11 in Wyoming Democratic politics this year," Luckett said, referring to the joke in the rock 'n' roll spoof movie "Spinal Tap" about the band's amplifiers going beyond the traditional 10. "It's been one of the most remarkable years in decades at least."

State Sen. Mike Massie, D-Laramie, a convention delegate, said it's a big deal for the Democrats to hold their convention in the West.

It offers an opportunity for people here to partake in something they may have only seen on TV, and it sends an important signal to the West.

"The Democrats are sending a message to people living in the West that the issues of the region are important to the party," Massie said.

Not all state Democrats are convinced the convention will have a big impact on Wyoming politics.

State Rep. Pete Jorgensen, D-Jackson, a convention superdelegate, said he'd like to see Wyoming Democrats pull off the same kind of political shift they have in states like Colorado and Montana - but the convention isn't going to help much with that, he said.

In the short term, he said, issues like energy and the national economy are going to drive western politics more than the convention location.

Long term, Democrats will have to field solid candidates if they hope to compete with the GOP.

"I think the candidates we identify and develop are much more important than where everything is held," Jorgensen said.

University of Wyoming political scientist Jim King said the impact of the convention on Wyoming may be determined largely by where people get their TV news.

Democrats in areas served by a Denver TV outlet will get a bigger helping of the convention than those who live elsewhere.

"The increased coverage that goes with that could sort of filter across the state line and do a little bit to energize the Democrats in this part of the state," King said.

Mike Walker, political scientist at Sheridan College, said Wyoming Democrats would get more of a boost from the convention if the party's presidential candidate appealed more to Wyoming voters.

When voters here get to know Obama's left-leaning positions on issues like gun control, Walker said, they may be less energized than if the nominee was more conservative.

For their part, state Republicans don't seem to be getting too worked up over the nearby convention.

Jim Thompson, a Republican and retired miner in Wright, said he's been following news about the convention, but he's not sure what it will mean.

Thompson said he's concerned that the influx of people to Wyoming for energy-industry jobs may strengthen the Democratic party here, and he's keeping his eyes open.

"I guess it's always a concern," Thompson said. "People do the strangest things. You really can't say anything is for sure. We have a number of new people who have moved into the state over he last several years. I don't know what their preferences are politically."

State Republican Party Executive Director Amy Larimer said she has been traveling the state in recent week and people have been "amazingly quiet" on the subject of the convention.

"We've actually been surprised that it's been that quiet," Larimer said. "It may be that we are such a Republican state, and people are focused on what's going on here in Wyoming."

Contact Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 and

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