Yes, sales of campaign signs for Democrat Barack Obama are outpacing those for Republican John McCain by more than 2-to-1 in Utah.

Even so, political observers of every shade fully expect the Beehive State to show its true colors come Election Day and tilt decidedly scarlet.

"Lawn signs don't vote," concedes Todd Taylor, executive director of the Utah Democratic Party. "But, that said, it certainly signals some enthusiasm for our candidate."

The McCain camp has handed out about 3,000 signs (for a $3 donation per sign) since the Republican convention while the Obama side has distributed about 7,500 (for a $10 donation).

Todd Weiler, vice chairman of the Utah Republican Party, shrugs off the gap as evidence that the state's rock-red voters took a while to grieve for Mitt Romney.

"Obviously we have this Romney phenomenon where people A) are disappointed he didn't get the nomination and B) didn't get the vice presidential nomination," Weiler says. "Interest in McCain lagged, but since the convention, there's been a lot of enthusiasm."

Tim Bridgewater, McCain's Western volunteer coordinator, agrees Romney remorse played a factor, but notes the same number of Utah volunteers who signed up to visit battleground states for President Bush in 2004 did so again this year for McCain.

He points to McCain's running mate for much of the Republican rebound. "Sarah Palin has ignited a lot of passion among our grass-roots supporters," Bridgewater says. "Women are calling in who have never been involved in politics."

This could be a tough year for the GOP nationally, says Kelly Patterson, director of the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at Brigham Young University. He points to the economy, the Iraq war and Bush's low approval ratings.

"Enthusiasm has not been part of the Republican dynamic lately," Patterson says. "Voters are much less likely to display a brand when there seems to be not as much enthusiasm for that brand."

Still, he doesn't expect Utah to turn blue.

"It's a Republican state, no question about that. But the real question is turnout, and we know that enthusiasm affects turnout," Patterson says. "We could see a larger vote for a Democratic candidate based on the fact that voters are more enthusiastic, and they sense victory."

Betty Ehin, a 69-year-old independent who just bought an Obama sign for her Bountiful house, sees change in the air.

"People were very anti-Obama, and I just sensed that it was because of his race," she says. "But when the economy got really bad, people started talking about how they liked Obama."

The overwhelming number of Obama signs in Eldon Howell's Rose Park neighborhood in west Salt Lake City prompted him to plant six McCain markers in his yard.

"I don't think there's more support for Obama than McCain, I just think there has been tons of money that the Democrats have flooded in here," the staunch 80-year-old Republican says. "They have signs up here all over the place."

Howell predicts McCain will carry Utah handily - despite garnering only 5 percent of the primary vote against Romney's 90 percent.

Democratic boss Taylor realizes his party's presidential nominees rarely fare well in Utah. In 1992, Clinton finished behind George H. W. Bush and Ross Perot with only about 25 percent of the vote. John Kerry mustered a mere 26 percent in 2004.

"I would like to think that Obama does over a third. That would be really a nice change for us," Taylor says. "I'm under no illusions he's likely to take this state - but you never know."

smcfarland@sltrib.com