Companion bills to restore the Illinois primary to the third Tuesday in March, i.e., somewhere between March 15 and March 21 depending on the calendar, rather than the first Tuesday in February, have advanced in both the Illinois House and Senate. Sen. Deanna Demuzio's SB 355 passed the Senate unanimously on Feb. 25 and Rep. Elaine Nekritz's HB 4964 cleared the ethics and reform committee on a 9-0 vote and is calendered for third reading after short debate. Each bill also contains text adjusting back to February the time after which a legislator may not publish a newsletter, i.e., state-funded printing and mailing that obviously helps an incumbent.
The news accounts linked to above indicate that at least some legislators would prefer a primary even later than March, and that Demuzio would be "open" to it. Would have been nice if the bills were crafted that way.
Under the pending legislation, the 2012 primary would be held on Tuesday, March 20, three days after a Saturday St. Patrick's Day. While Feb. 2 was a rotten date, I have no nostalgia for mid-March either; that still puts the big petition drive, filing, and any ballot challenge between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and means that there are mounds of frozen slush to clamber over for most of the door-to-door and goin'-to-meetin' season.
David Orr, who has to fund any overtime incurred during the filing/challenge season, has argued that there are higher costs associated with a winter primary (March 15-21 is still winter) and suggested May, June, or August. Sen. John Jones was quoted as saying all of his county clerks agree. The IVI-IPO supports a May or June primary; I've long felt mid-to-late May makes the most sense. You lose folks after Memorial Day and as schools start to let out. Pat Quinn last year suggested a primary as late as September, as seen in some other states.
The primary date is not an issue that stirs most souls but, like gerrymandering, it is one of those many small things that adds up to big advantages for the existing power structure, which is stacked against the average citizen. Perhaps some brave rep will introduce a floor amendment, before this bill becomes law, changing the date to the third Tuesday in May. We could at least get on record who does or does not support that.
Thanksgiving is in three days. From Thanksgiving to New Years candidates and campaigns will build support in prepartion for the February 2, 2010 election. Citizen groups and others will be vetting candidates.
I propose using the time between Thanksgiving and New Years to get commitments from all state legislative candidates and all candidates for governor to move the primary to a later time of the year.
Illinois may be the only state that has its presidential primary on the same day as the primary for the other offices. This saves money. It also causes Illinois to have one of the earliest primaries.
Saturday, I went back to Hammond Indiana with the Democratic Party of Evanston. This time, there were 25 of us leaving Evanston. The Hammond Obama office was jammed the whole time we were there. (We went seperately in cars, The car in which I was riding -- with two sisters -- got there fairly early; another car came later, but the ofice was so jammed that they arrived before we could leave.)
Reception in the area I covered was overwhelmingly positive. Most were not home, but more than half of those who were said that they were Obama voters. Many said that they would vote early. I got one volunteer.
The driver had to come back early, so I was there only two or three hours, but we think we made a real difference.
Next Saturday, the effort will be getting out the vote.
Cars leave the Democratic Party of Evanston at 10:00 A.M.
Or see the directions here for the rendezvous of NDFA.
Saturday, while (almost) all eyes in the nation were on Pennsylvania, some of us went from the Chicago area to help the effort in Indiana.
We went from Evanston (organized by the Democratic Party of Evanson and Cong. Jan Schakowsky's political operation) to Hammond IN.
(This is reposted from my daiary -- Frank Palmer -- on Daily Kos.)
The details are after the jump.
Looking at the ballot for February 5, I noticed something for the first time. Delegates.
This is probably the first presidential primary I'm voting in. I've always been good about general elections, but not so good with primaries. And, I have a question for the more politically knowledgeable, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
I've been campaigning for Mark Pera in the 11th Ward. It's a nearly-isolated island of the 3d Congressional District. As Yoda wrote earlier, we have seen nobody else out for this race. (I mean nobody out for the other three candidates. We have seen non-members of NDFA help us. Most Pera volunteers who aren't involved in our group campaign elsewhere.)
I've seen one states-attorney candidate's flyers and something for a guy who'w running for Republican committeeman. I've seen a mailing from a state-senate candidate in an open mailbox. I've seen nothing from Bennet or Caparelli.
I learned from my latest issue of the News Star that Jan Schakowssky has an opponent in the Democratic primary for IL - 09.
The guy appears to be a machine Democrat, which doesn't bode well for a campaign in that district. The 9th's Chicago area is mostly on the lakefront.
His big point is that he could work across the aisle better than Jan does. His evidence is that he supported Fast Eddie when he ran for Mayor as a Republican. He doesn't list any honest Republicans he ahs supported, but maybe he figures that there are enough Republican crooks in Congress that his experience with Fast Eddie would serve him well.
The only clear signoal from Iowa and New Hampshire is that the nomination won't be certain before February 5.
Illinoisans expect February to be cold, but this February will be hot!
Mike Madigan is proposing moving Illinois' primaries to February 5th. This move would put Illinois among a handful of other states already lined up to follow the initial four primaries (or two primaries, two caucuses). While Madigan's suggested move would apply to both the Republican and Democratic primaries, it is designed solely to help Barack Obama's chances to win the Democratic nomination.
Madigan, also the state's Democratic chairman, said advancing the primary from its scheduled March 18 date would inject a large, more diverse and representative state into the front end of the presidential nominating process-and a state more beneficial to an Obama candidacy.
The motives leave something to be desired, but the effect, I believe, would be beneficial to the Democratic party. Madigan is certainly right about the importance of injecting diversity into the nominating process. Whether or not this goes anywhere, I don't know. But it is definitely something to be aware of as the 2008 Presidential Election begins in earnest.
