Presidential primaries: What is the role of a primary, and why is it important when it is held? While these two questions appear to have obvious answers, they are currently being discussed in state houses around the country this year. No one can deny that the 2008 Presidential elections will be the most unique and active compared to those of the past 50 years, and this energy has spurred numerous candidates to enter the race early as well as states vying for position in the primary process.
So what are the primaries all about? With a large field of candidates within the same political party currently deciding to declare or already declared their intention to run for office, party supporters from each state need to discuss and determine who they want to represent their views in the Presidential election. The states provide this service by setting aside a date for voting on these candidates. With the states holding their voting during a six-month period, the results of the states that vote early can influence the pool of candidates as well as the voting patterns of the states which follow. Due to the unprecedented election two years from now, states are now trying to move their primary dates ahead in the election cycle to become more relevant and potentially impact the primary votes of other states which follows.
The latest state to take on this task is California. In a bipartisan measure introduced on 1/19/2007 called for the June 3rd primary election to be moved up to February 3rd. By moving the primary forward five months, California hopes to make an impact on the outcome of the primary process. In the past, candidates did not spend much time or money in California campaigning since the primary process had already indicated who was most likely to win the nomination.
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“Help arrives for Tommy camp”
Badger Herald – 1/25/2007
A campaign aide to President George W. Bush joined the 2008 Presidential Exploratory Committee of former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson Wednesday.
Thompson announced Darrin Schmitz, president of a Madison-based political consulting and direct mail firm, to be the committee’s national political director.
“My job is basically to provide the best advice to the governor as possible,” Schmitz said in an interview with The Badger Herald. “I’ll be involved with the governor’s schedule intimately.”
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“White House Hopeful Tom Tancredo Calls for Abolition of Race-Based Congressional Caucuses”
Sierra Times – 1/26/2007
WASHINGTON — White House hopeful Tom Tancredo said Thursday the existence of the Congressional Black Caucus and other race-based groups of lawmakers amounts to segregation and should be abolished.
“It is utterly hypocritical for Congress to extol the virtues of a colorblind society while officially sanctioning caucuses that are based solely on race,” said the Colorado Republican, who is most widely known as a vocal critic of illegal immigration.
“If we are serious about achieving the goal of a colorblind society, Congress should lead by example and end these divisive, race-based caucuses,” said Tancredo, who is scheduled pitch his longshot presidential bid this weekend in New Hampshire.
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“Whose Running? – Michael Charles Smith”
Election Geek – 12/26/2006
Since it is the giving season I thought I would give some of the other candidates running for president, some might say the ‘longshots’ some time in the blog.
First up on the Republican side is Michael Charles Smith who has officially filed with the FEC and has his campaign Web site up and running. Smith is from the state of Oregon. He was born in Illinois in 1961 and attended the University of Illinois for a short time before joining the Air Force in 1985. While in the Air Force he was trained as a Russian linguist.
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“Romney: Clinton’s Wrong About Bush”
New York Times - 1/29/2007
COLUMBIA,S.C. — Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts seeking the Republican nomination for president, has no shortage of criticism of the way the war in Iraq has been handled. And he questions whether President Bush was sending enough troops in, and dispatching them quickly enough, to accomplish the stabilization of Bagdad.
But Mr. Romney said he did not agree with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the New York Democrat, that President Bush needed to resolve the war he started before he left office and not hand it off to his successor, as she said while campaigning in Iowa on Sunday.
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