January 23, 2007

"California bills call for early presidential primary"

"California is considering moving up the date of its presidential primary again in hopes of gaining more clout in picking White House nominees, a little more than two years after abandoning a similar effort.

State Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, said Friday that he plans to introduce a bill on Monday that would move the primary from June to February, making it one of the earliest in the country.

"California is the biggest and most influential state in the union, yet our current June presidential primary virtually ensures that the nominees will be determined long before our voters cast their ballots," Calderon, the chairman of the Senate elections committee, said in a statement.

A February presidential primary will encourage candidates to debate issues important to Californians, he said. Assemblyman George Plescia, R-La Jolla, introduced a similar bill in the Assembly on Thursday.

California, which has 55 electoral votes, has traditionally held its primary elections in June, going back to 1946. But in 1996, it began experimenting with a March primary in hopes of giving its voters a bigger say in determining who wins the White House.

Other states moved up their primaries and caucuses, as well. By the time California's March elections were held, the nominations were locked up.

In 2004, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation moving the primary back to June. The measure's author, then-Sen. Ross Johnson, R-Irvine, said the change to March was a failure that had reduced voter turnout, made the campaign season unreasonably long and boosted campaign costs for other candidates.

But Schwarzenegger said earlier this week that he would support a move to February, complaining that presidential candidates only visit California to raise campaign donations."

The story is here.

Posted by Randy Riddle at January 23, 2007 09:49 AM