But the state that gave President Bush his biggest margin of victory in 2000 and 2004 will host the former Vermont governor and past presidential contender on Saturday as Dean attempts to reach beyond the traditional blue-state boundaries.

Dean, who will be making his first trip to the state as DNC chairman, says the party can make gains in Utah and other Rocky Mountain areas. He is coming to energize Democratic supporters.

"We should not leave any state out of the equation," Dean said. "We may not win Utah in 2008; we may not win in 2012; we won't be winning in 2028 if we don't start now."

In an interview Tuesday with The Salt Lake Tribune, Dean said Westerners have a strong "libertarian bent" that doesn't fit well with the Republican track record, such as increasing federal debt and Congress' intervention in the case of whether to keep Terri Schiavo, a brain-damaged Florida woman, alive against the wishes of her husband.

"Republicans claim they want small government," Dean said, "but it . . . seems just small enough to fit inside Terri Schiavo's bedroom. We think those decisions ought to be left to individuals."

Dean's visit is a component of the party's 50-state strategy in which the DNC will pay the salaries of three or four fieldworkers in each state to organize and push Democrats. Utah's Democratic Party plans to hire three people with the national party money, and part of the mission will be to target local races.

On the heels of allegations that Dean goes "over the top" in his rhetoric, the chairman said he is not planning to tone down his speech in Utah.

"Certainly not," he said. "The reason I'm really outspoken is because I think one of the problems in the Democratic Party is they don't understand how to fight. I don't want to get run over by these right-wingers. We're going to fight back."

On the other side of the aisle, GOP state Sen. Curt Bramble says he welcomes Dean to Utah, noting that he hopes it will help clearly define Democrats.

"I don't believe that Howard Dean will co-opt the Republican values," Bramble said. "That has been one of Mr. Dean's tactics for some time."

And Bramble said he was disappointed in Dean's comment referring to the Schiavo case.

"It's unfortunate that Mr. Dean would politicize this family's tragedy," Bramble said.

Saturday's event is being touted as partly sponsored by Dean's first cousin, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, but the Mayor's Office says no public money will go toward the event.

tburr@sltrib.com

Dean visit

* Who: Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.

* Where: Westminster College, Emma Eccles Jones Conservatory Concert Hall, 1840 S. 1300 East, Salt Lake City.

* When: Saturday, noon.

* Admission: Free.