Dates of primaries

[Radio_Guy]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060331/ap_on_el_pr/western_primary

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah is fed up with presidential candidates who get no closer than 30,000 feet as they fly over the state. The state isn't necessarily blaming the candidates, but rather a primary calendar that puts it months behind Iowa, New Hampshire and states that typically settle the Democratic and Republican nominations long before the Utah even writes its ballot.

Determined to change the status quo, Utah wants to hold a 2008 presidential primary the first week in February, which would put it on par with about a half dozen states that trail Iowa and New Hampshire, but still are in the thick of the contest.

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I've often wondered if it would be better if all the primaries were held on the same date.

[Wabbajack]

1. Pretty soon there won't be a single one

before early March.

[Warpy]

2. One thing I'd like to change is to make the primaries REGIONAL

and the dates set into stone and rotated. It would make so much more sense for the primary marathoners to be able to campaign regionally and speak to that region's issues, to reduce their travel time (and therefore the cost of it) and to pace themselves a little better. They could also consolidate some of the advertising, especially in areas like the northeast.

When Dr. Dean gets disgusted and quits and throws the job to me, that's the first change I'll make.

Right after hell freezes over, of course.

[RB TexLa]

3. Not going to work

To get up there in the decision making area with New Hampshire and Iowa I'm thinking you would have to be higher on this list than 16th.


States Ranked by Percent of Population Selecting Race of Non-Hispanic/Latino, White Alone

1. Maine 96.53%
2. Vermont 96.12%
3. New Hampshire 95.09%
4. West Virginia 94.52%
5. Iowa 92.71%
6. North Dakota 91.85%
7. Montana 89.51%
8. Kentucky 89.32%
9. Wyoming 88.81%
10. Minnesota 88.23%
11. South Dakota 88.07%
12. Idaho 87.98%
13. Wisconsin 87.40%
14. Nebraska 87.39%
15. Indiana 85.86%
16. Utah 85.31%