October 15, 2007
Southern Primary Squabble Continues
The South takes center stage this week in the ongoing presidential primary calendar wars. South Carolina Democrats are considering requesting an earlier primary date and Florida Democrats, already rebuked by the national party, are crying foul.
The Columbia State first reported earlier this month that S.C. Democrats were considering requesting the earlier date of Jan. 19 to coincide with the state's Republican primaries. But South Carolina Democratic Party Executive Director Joe Werner said in a telephone interview that Jan. 19 is only "one date we're looking at," and that the executive committee will meet Tuesday to decide whether to approach the DNC about a possible move as well as which date to request.
Denying the possible move has anything to do with Florida voting on the same day, Werner said that "it has everything to do with the fact that South Carolina Republicans will be voting on the 19th, and we'll be going 10 days after." Democrats are afraid that a large gap between the two primaries will discourage voters from going to the polls, he added.
This talk of more primary shuffling has Florida Democrats up in arms, specifically against South Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Carol Fowler. On Sunday, the Miami Herald reported that Sunshine State Dems blame Fowler, wife of former DNC Chairman Don Fowler, for coming up with the infamous "candidate pledge" committing candidates to stay away from states that attempted to join Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada in early-primary action.
Werner said ill will toward Fowler was "ridiculous" and that "the stuff that's come out of Florida for the last month and a half has been unfortunate. If they would spend more of their time electing Democrats we'd be a lot better off in the U.S."
Florida's decision to move up its primary to Jan. 29 resulted in the DNC promising not to seat any of that state's delegates and prompted Florida Sen. Bill Nelsen (D) and Rep. Alcee Hastings (D) to file a lawsuit against the national party for alleged voter disenfranchisement.
If South Carolina does not win the blessing of the DNC and moves its primary up anyway, S.C. Democrats could meet the same fate as their counterparts in Florida. South Carolina law requires parties to notify the election commission of their primary date by Friday, Oct. 19, so a decision must be made by both the national and state parties swiftly. "All we can do is beg them for mercy if that move does occur," Werner said.
Calls to the Democratic National Committee and the Florida Democratic Party were not immediately returned.
Posted at 3:05 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, Democrats, WH 2008
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