The map displayed above may be subject to some changes. In recent
a statement Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon told CNN that his state was
examining potential primary dates to be closer to January 31st. This
decision would result in the complete upheaval of the finely tuned Republican
nominating schedule. Florida’s new date will surely force the traditional early
states to move their primaries and caucuses to mid-January. States like Iowa,
New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina have always been the first states to
hold primaries or caucuses. However, recently many states have attempted to
move up their primary dates in order to be more relevant when choosing the
party nomination. States have until this Saturday to submit their dates to the
Republican National Committee.
This move
for Florida will directly violate the nomination rules set up by the Republican
National Committee. The rule outlines that no state can hold primaries or
caucuses prior to the first Tuesday in March, which is when the first four
states hold theirs. As a consequence the RNC pledges to strip delegates from
states that break this rule. Essentially, states that hold their primary or
caucus prior to the four early states could lose up to half of their delegates
for the Republican Convention.
The reason that
states are so eager to push their date up closer or ahead of the four early
states is merely to stay relevant in the nomination process. In the past, such
as in 2008, the Republican candidate was decided very early on in the
primaries. This meant that Republicans voting in primaries held in April or May
did not contribute to selecting the candidate chosen to run. Florida is one of
many states, including Colorado, to seek an earlier date for their primary. States
that desire to move their primary or caucus date up are taking a large risk because
they could end up being left out of a decisive primary later in the year. However,
there is still a chance that the early states themselves could decide the
winner, as they did for Republican candidate John McCain in 2008.
Although the actual dates are not known yet,
the schedule will most likely be completely different from the one in 2008. For
example, in 2008 twenty states held primaries or caucuses on February 5th,
or Super Tuesday. In 2012, it is assumed that only ten states will hold
contests on March 6th. This is also a result to states holding their
elections later in the year during April or May. States like New York and
California are still scheduled to hold their primaries in April and June
respectively. This approach is completely contrast to Florida’s because it
would result in a more drawn out process to pick the nominee.
Another factor contributing to the RNC’s
desire to have a more drawn out primary process is their adoption of a new
rule. The rule limits the ability for candidates to win large numbers of
delegates in contests held before April. This is because the delegates won in
those states are awarded proportionally to the votes candidates receive. Essentially,
the rule makes I harder for candidates to win large amounts of delegates in early
states, or before April 1st, even though those states assign delegates
based on the number of votes received. States holding primaries or caucuses
after April give delegates based on a winner-take-all process. This is mostly
because these states would like to gain more attention and create a buzz around
their primary or caucus. The RNC’s new rule was adopted mostly to create a
nomination period similar to the Democrats in 2008, in which Barrack Obama and Hilary
Clinton fought competitively until after the convention. The reason for this is
to create excitement and suspense within the party.
Overall, the controversy over the dates
of primaries and cuscuses may bring up debate on whether or not the process
should change. Many believe that parties should hold national primaries, in
which every state votes on the same day. States like Iowa and New Hampshire are
not in favor of such a change because it would take the attention and
significance away from the contests held there. But some may argue, who cares
about Iowa? The answer is, not many, which is precisely why Iowa and other
states are so eager to push the nomination up further, they want the attention
of the media, their own party, and the candidates. This will ultimately result
in a drawn out nomination process that we all are so fortunate to follow. So if
you’re already sick of the debates, advertisements, or the candidates
themselves, you’re out of luck. It seems that the nominee may not be chosen
until June.
Sources:
No comments:
Post a Comment