AUGUSTA – Maine’s presidential caucuses fall in the shadow of neighboring New Hampshire’s primary and the nation’s other marquee presidential preference events.

But both major parties’ officials are hopeful that the races will remain competitive enough to draw some attention to Maine, and they’re pushing to keep the excitement alive and maximize participation in the early February gatherings.

State Republican caucuses will be held Feb. 1-2, giving them an earlier chance to play a role in the national drama that begins to unfold with Iowa’s Jan. 3 caucuses and New Hampshire’s Jan. 8 primaries.

Democrats gather later, on Feb. 10, five days after Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses are held in nearly two dozen states.

Political scientists say the Super Tuesday contests will likely divert attention and political significance from Maine.

On the Republican side, there’s a greater likelihood that the race will remain undecided before the Maine GOP caucuses, so there’s more reason to believe the GOP’s Maine caucuses will have an impact, said Mark Brewer from the University of Maine.

Maine’s GOP caucuses stand to gain significance by being the last contests before Super Tuesday, offering candidates a last shot at establishing momentum.

But Democrats caucus after Super Tuesday, and “a lot’s going to be settled” by then, said Amy Fried, also a UMaine political science professor.

Brewer believes the Democratic race will be down to two or three contestants – Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama, and perhaps John Edwards – by Feb. 10. “It’s very unlikely the Maine Democratic caucuses are going to matter at all,” said Brewer.

Democrats, nonetheless, are confident they will get national attention by having the only presidential preference contest on Feb. 10.

Despite the late date, Maine could become a pivotal state for a candidate who needs to win over a few delegates to nudge closer to the nomination or go over the top, said Arden Manning, executive director of the state Democratic Party.

“The fact that we have that day all to ourselves puts us in a good position if a candidate needs to pick up a few delegates,” he said.

Regardless of national attention the caucuses might or might not receive, party leaders see the caucuses as more than a chance for members to express their presidential choices, said state GOP Executive Director Julie Ann O’Brien.

“It’s an opportunity to build our base, to grow our base,” said O’Brien. “We’re attempting to reach out to all Republicans in the state to get them to go to the caucus. Through the month of January we’ll put on a full-court press.”

At the caucuses, voters hear speeches on behalf of the candidates and then are asked to move to different corners of the meeting room so their numbers can be apportioned to candidates they support. But rather than voting for candidates, voters are actually choosing delegates to the state conventions. Republicans meet May 2-3 and Democrats on May 30-June 1, both in Augusta.

Those delegates in turn select delegates to the national conventions, set for Aug. 25-28 for the Democrats in Denver and Sept. 1-4 for Republicans in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The Democrats will caucus town-by-town on Feb. 10, meeting in schools, fire stations, public meeting halls and homes. Manning said their goal is to have party members in 490 towns participate.

Republicans also hold their caucuses by town, but they pick central locations – in most cases one location in each county – to gather. The GOP announced a three-day Feb. 1-3 window but discouraged gatherings on Feb. 3, Super Bowl Sunday, said O’Brien.

Therefore, Republican party officials expect to be able to release the results on the night before the Super Bowl.

Maine’s caucus timing and relatively small share of national delegate counts have made it an unpopular destination for candidates. Out of about 2,500 Republican delegates, Maine sends 21 to the national convention. Of more than 3,500 pledged Democratic delegates, Maine sends 38.

Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich has been back to the state, which he frequented during the 2004 presidential campaign. Also in August, Hillary Clinton visited Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery during a campaign swing through neighboring New Hampshire, a magnet for candidates.

Among the Republicans, Rudy Giuliani was in South Portland on Sept. 24. Obama attended a rally and fundraiser in Portland the next day.