Bill to move presidential primary could get vote on final day

5/7/2005, 3:50 p.m. CT By BOB JOHNSON The Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A bill to make Alabama a key player in selecting candidates for president in 2008 is still alive going into the final day of the Alabama Legislature's session.

The proposed legislation would move Alabama's presidential primary from June to the first Saturday after the New Hampshire primary. That would make Alabama the third state in the country — and the first in the South — to take part in the process of choosing Republican and Democratic presidential nominees.

But the distinction might be short lived. In the last two presidential elections, the South Carolina primaries have been first in the South, being held on a Saturday about two and a half weeks after the New Hampshire primary. A Republican Party official in South Carolina says the Palmetto State won't let Alabama slip in front.

"We will maintain our status as first in the South primary. If Alabama moves its primary, we will move ours earlier," said Jay W. Ragley, political director of the South Carolina Republican Party.

He said in South Carolina, the parties and not the Legislature determine the dates of the presidential preference primary.

Supporters of the Alabama bill say it would give Alabama voters more of a role in choosing the next president and would lure candidates and national media coverage to the state.

"Other than coming here to fundraise, when was the last time we had a presidential candidate come to Alabama? 1988," said Sen. Steve French, R-Birmingham. French was a state Republican Party official in 1988, when Alabama was one of several Southern states to hold presidential primaries in March on a day known as Super Tuesday.

The bill passed the House by a 52-40 margin, with opponents arguing that the state can't afford the price tag — about $3 million — to open precincts and run election operations for an extra primary. The measure also cleared a Senate committee and could come up for final passage in the Senate on May 16, the final day of the session.

It originally was supported by both major parties in Alabama, but Republican Party chairwoman Twinkle Cavanaugh said the state could lose delegates to the national convention if it bumped up its primary date.

"The Republican National Committee says if we move our primary we may lose delegates," Cavanaugh said. She said the national party is getting involved "because a lot of states are wanting to move their primaries up."

Republican National Committee spokesman Danny Diaz said "party rules do stipulate that a state could risk losing delegates" by moving its primary in violation of those rules. The New Hampshire Primary was Jan. 27 in 2004, which could put Alabama's proposed new date in violation of the GOP rules, that say no state can schedule its primary before the first Tuesday in February.

Democratic National Committee spokesman Josh Earnest declined to comment on the Alabama bill, saying the DNC has a commission that is studying the entire process of selecting delegates, including the timing of primaries. He said the commission will make a series of recommendations to chairman Howard Dean.

Alabama Democrats mostly support moving the primary.

"We want to have an early voice in the selection of the nominee, the same reason Democrats in other states want to be up early," said state Democratic Party chairman Redding Pitt. Besides bringing candidates to the state, Pitt said the early primaries would encourage more people from both parties to get involved in the political process.

"A lot of people, however positive they may feel about the nominee, may be more invested in making the decision if they could get involved early," Pitt said. He said he hopes other Southern states will also switch to the early date, creating another Super Tuesday or Super Saturday.

Ragley said the early primary has been a success in drawing candidates and media attention to South Carolina.

"It energizes the base of our Republican Party and gets people interested in learning about the party," Ragley said. He said holding the primary on a Saturday — Alabama traditionally votes on Tuesdays — is popular with voters.

"It's a very good day to have it. They don't have to work on Saturday and a ton of people turn out," Ragley said.