Codey seeks to move up Primary date

[Kire]

Posted on Mon, Jan. 17, 2005

Codey: Move up primary to put N.J.'s mouth where its money is

Noting the state's clout in presidential financing, he wants a vote to match. A Feb. date will be urged.
By Jeff Linkous
Associated Press

TRENTON - Seeking to give New Jersey a louder voice in picking presidential candidates, acting Gov. Richard J. Codey wants to move up the state's primary.

Primaries in states with smaller, less diverse populations can decide the names on the November ballot before New Jersey's June contest - even as candidates call on New Jersey's fund-raising muscle to help bankroll their campaigns, Codey said.

"The time has come to make New Jersey a presidential player instead of an ATM machine for presidential candidates," he said in his State of the State speech last week.

New Jersey's presidential primary was one of the last in 2004. By then, Democrat John Kerry had long been his party's unofficial choice to run against President Bush, who was unopposed for the GOP nod.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/politics/10663791.htm?1c

[shoelace414]

1. There needs to be a national concensus

for some type of rotating primaries.. to give every state some weight in the primaries some year.

[Bemis]

2. Join with another state

We should set the primary date to match with at least one other state, but not another super Tuesday event.

Nice to have it with Pennsylvania or New York since we suffer under the same TV stations.

[Osamasux]

3. Sharing would be fine, but not with a bigger neighbor.

We would become an afterthought, much like the visits last year (that still doesn't sound right) that were really made to influence Pennsylvania.

[Osamasux]

4. 2004 February Primary Schedule:

Date ------ Primaries ------------------ Caucuses
2/3 ----- AZ, DE, MO, OK, SC ------------ NM, ND
2/7 -------------------------------------- MI, WA
2/8 -------------------------------------- ME
2/10 ---- TN, VA
2/17 ---- WI
2/24 ------------------------------------- ID
2/27 ---- UT