In what is considered the nation's reddest state, Democrats are smiling. In Idaho, the fourth-fastest growing state, Democrats now find their long-time platform - better schools, environmental protecton and cleaner energy - suddenly at the forefront.

Last year, the Idaho House followed a national trend by electing six new Democrats. Even the party's losses weren't so bad. In 2006, three Senate races were won by Republicans by less than 500 votes.

"People are beginning to realize there needs to be balance in state government and they are tired of the good ol' boys," said House Minority Leader Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum. "Democrats are focused on what's good public policy for the state. The state is changing and becoming more urban."

But the Democrats' boundless optimism hits a wall when it comes to the Legislature that will convene next month.

For the first time since 1928, Republicans control the Legislature and all statewide offices.

It's been more than 12 years since a Democrat occupied the governor's mansion and almost 50 years since Democrats controlled the Legislature.

In the coming session, the score will be 79 Republicans to 26 Democrats.

Despite nationwide poll numbers showing disatisfaction with the GOP, Idaho Republicans and political observers aren't worried that Idaho will be any less red any time soon.

And few think that increased urbanization and growth will tip the political scales as the Democrats dream.

"They haven't had much to say about much of anything for quite a while," said 84-year-old Perry Swisher, a former legislator who served for both parties.

"The balance is not even a topic in Idaho. Don't we have the most partisan Legislature in the country? Don't we have more Republicans than everyone else?"

A Democratic demise

Last December House Democrats stormed out of the chamber to protest their denial of a third seat on the budget committee. Jaquet accused new House Speaker Lawerence E. Denney of unfairly barring the Democrats, who had gained six seats two months earlier. With 27 percent of the House seats, the Democrats reasoned, they deserved a little more clout.

Leaders of both parties insist they've moved on. But the incident is a reminder of the GOP's lasting dominance.

In 1958, Democrats won the Legislature and every statewide office but governor. And Democrat Frank Church was two years into the first of his four terms in the U.S. Senate.

Then came the 1960s, when Idaho's well-established populist streak eroded along with its interest in an ever-more-liberal Democratic Party.

Meanwhile, traditional sources of Democratic support were fading. Mining and logging shrank, eliminating an organized labor job base that had traditionally aligned with Democrats.

Idaho Democrats, particularly Church, also suffered from growing national discontent with their party, which was seen as soft on international affairs and increasingly corrupt and out of touch after nearly a half-century of control in Congress.

The shift to Republican dominance can best be seen by tracing the rise of former Republican House Speaker Bruce Newcomb.

In 1982, then-Democrat Newcomb, of Burley, unsuccessfully ran against Republican Denton Darrington (now the longest-serving state senator).

But he became disenchanted with the Democrats at a state convention where, he says, the party emphasized environment protection and and labor unions while dismissing concerns of timber, mining and agriculture. Newcomb said that was "foolish."

He joined the Republicans and in 1986 was elected to the House, where he remained for 20 years.

Close, but not that close

Democrats were able to win the governor's office from 1970 through 1994, with Cecil Andrus serving longer than any Republican.

In 1990, Andrus led a revival that included the two U.S. House seats, and several statewide offices. The State Senate was tied.

But the Democratic surge was short-lived, and the Legislature remains solid GOP turf - so much so that there were just 12 Democats in both houses in 2001.

As a minority, Democrats can be influential when Republicans are divided. Last year, Democrats joined with moderate Republicans on local-option taxes. The move failed, but it showed that Democrats can still hold some clout.

"In the Legislature they still serve in the role of the loyal opposition in raising questions and presenting alternative viewpoints," said retired Boise State University professor Jim Weatherby. But, he added, "Overall, it's hard to pinpoint major policy achievements and that's the problem of the minority party in what is arguably a one-party state."

What makes an Idaho Democrat?

There's consensus in both parties that all state lawmakers are generally conservative. During the session, most bills pass unanimously, or close to it. Some Democrats even concede that they would be Republicans if they lived elsewhere.

But when the differences come out, they're as loud as a hawk's cry.

"The minority is as relevant as they want to be," said Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, a 10-term lawmaker. "When the minority party members are wise, they work with legislators regardless of party affiliation, they try and seek compromise and they promote good government policies that everyone can work with and live with."

Senate Minority Leader Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum, became a Democrat while attending the College of Southern Idaho and decided the Republicans weren't favoring education or the state's resources.

"It really boils down to the important things which are Idaho values, which are education and the environment," he said.

Stennett said education is still under-funded, and that Democrats would increase funding for community colleges, urge pre-kindergarten programs and establish Idaho as a leading state in education.

"If we were given the keys to the car it'd be a much different situation," he said.

The biggest misconception about Idaho Democrats is that they are aligned with the national party, Stennett said. They are not big spenders and do not desire high taxes.

"We really are not," Stennett said. "We're trying to make government work. We're trying to use common sense and reason."

Urban versus rural

Colorado's state legislature might foreshadow Idaho's development, said Gary Moncrief, a professor at the Boise State University who has written several books on state legislatures. Twenty years ago, Colorado's urban population grew so quickly that the legislators didn't immediately reflect their constituents.

"It tends to lag," Moncrief said. "The legislature doesn't tend to reflect those changes immediately."

The lag a legislative shift could be due to longstanding regional difference between Northern, Southwestern, Central and Eastern Idaho areas with unique politics, economies and social cultures.

When redistricting begins in 2010, Idaho is expected to have 1.7 million people. Meridian, for example, has grown by nearly 50,000 since 1990.

Redistricting has increased the potential for competitive elections in some areas of the Treasure Valley, and as Boise grows, so does its Democratic base.

Jaquet said Idaho is growing more independent as it grows, and that residents of urban areas are more supportive of programs such as mass transit and environmental protection that are hallmarks of her party.

"I'm really excited about being a Democrat in Idaho," said Jaquet. "What I've always tried to do is find more balance. That's what democracy is all about. When you have too many of the same people you have the closed-door deals."

But some areas are bucking the trend. Fast-growing Canyon County, for example, remains strongly Republican.

Weatherby said he doesn't think redistricting will make a difference because the growth has come in the form of like-minded conservatives moving from other states. In fact, he said, it may be that these conservatives will actually make the state even more so.

A strategy for the future

The future of the Democratic Party remains unclear, most notably after the party's chairman, Richard Stallings, resigned in December. Stallings was a longtime Democratic headliner, as a member of Congress and in two years as chairman of the party.

Swisher describes the party as moribund, looking back at glory days instead of building for the future.

"They're like sub-prime mortgages," said Swisher. "Someone's got to take them over. It can't be done just memorializing Andrus and the late Sen. Church."

Weatherby says the party is moving to expand its base, and is breaking away from its past reliance on a "star system," with a major figure running at the top of the ticket with little depth elsewhere, said Weatherby.

"Now there is no big name. There is no obvious leader of the Democratic Party," said Weatherby. "And they're working more at the local and grass-roots level."

Deborah Silver, chairwoman of the Twin Falls County Democrats, said a stronger Democratic presence has emerged in the Magic Valley and called it issue-related -primarily to concern over the Bush administration and local environment matters, such as nuclear energy. Silver said that a local chapter of "Drinking Liberally" - separate from the Democratic Party - meets monthly to discuss things and its existence reflects how there's is a changing dynamic. The mailing list has grown from 20 people to 80.

"I think there are more people here who are willing to say, "I am a Democrat and I am going to do something," Silver said. "We have all these things that have gone so far to the right and I think people here are saying I'm not willing to just keep my mouth closed."

Former state Sen. Jon Peavey of Carey is credited with turning Wood River Valley into the Democratic stronghold it is today. He credits Jaquet with leading a turnaround of recruitment, and is optimistic that the party now has the right strategy for success.

"If your numbers are small you've really got to pick your issues and that's kind of like fighting a guerilla war," he said. "You try and find some other friends who can gather around you."

Jared S. Hopkins may be reached at 735-3204 or jhopkins@magicvalley.com