In Salt Lake City for the Young Democrats of America (YDA) 2005 National Winter Conference, 150 young people listened intently as Matheson, a three-term Democrat, spoke of surviving in heavily Republican Utah and in the 2nd Congressional District, where President Bush logged 69 percent of the vote in November.

Matheson's prescription for political success: Broaden the base.

"It's easy to play to our base, but our base is not good enough to get us back in the majority," said Matheson, who won re-election with 31 percent of the Republican vote, 75 percent of the independent vote and 99 percent of the Democratic vote.

"As a congressman who has a whole bunch of people he values very much in Washington, I can't bring any of them out here to Utah to campaign for me," he told YDA members. "It doesn't help me; it just hurts me. I have to run away from the national Democratic Party image. . . . I can't run with Democrat on my sleeve. I wouldn't get elected if I did."

To win elections, Matheson said Democrats must reach beyond the party to pinpoint issues that resonate with all voters, and then use technology to get their message to the masses. He said John Kerry's mantra in opposing the war in Iraq -- "Wrong war, wrong place, wrong time" -- was preaching to the choir and did not win converts.

"Anybody who thought we shouldn't have gone into Iraq in the first place was already going to vote for him," Matheson said. "He should have talked about how, since the troops have been in Iraq, the whole thing had been mismanaged."

Matheson said the same holds true with Democratic candidates who say they are for clean air and water. To attract political independents and Republicans, they must localize the issue much as Matheson said he did in Utah by opposing the storage of nuclear waste 75 miles west of Salt Lake City. And when it comes to debates on Social Security and health care, Matheson said Democrats should leave "Just say no" to Nancy Reagan.

"We can't just say no to what Republicans want. We must offer viable alternatives," said Matheson, who was given a standing ovation.

Matheson's rallying cry was not the only high point of the two-day convention that wrapped up Saturday. Young Democrats in Utah enjoyed rubbing shoulders with other party members and realizing they were not alone.

"In Davis County, I'm one of five," joked Beth Holbrook of Bountiful. "We're always waving at each other in town."

Angela Jones, president of Utah Young Democrats, sees better times ahead. Her group helped 500 Democrats register to vote in the past election and she says the party is becoming more organized and better financed. Bay Area Democrat Rocky Fernandez, who will chair YDA's national convention in San Francisco in August, expects the national party to make inroads as well by being proactive in debating the GOP about values, among other things.

"Values are not all about guns, God and gays," he said. "Values mean looking out for the poor, for the less fortunate and for each other."

Membership in YDA is open to anyone 35 and under. There are about 350 members in Utah and 43,000 nationwide.

meddington@sltrib.com