Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman

WATSON COLEMAN: NJ MUST KEEP PACE WITH OTHER STATES SCHEDULING EARLY PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES

Measure would Ensure Front Spot in National Election Timetable

(TRENTON) - Noting how as many as 22 other states could hold presidential primaries on February 5, 2008, Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman today said New Jersey would be negligent if it didn't follow through in moving its presidential primary to February 5 next year.

"With an avalanche of states now looking to move up their primaries, it's more imperative than ever that New Jersey change its presidential primary date as well," said Watson Coleman (D-Mercer).  "We simply cannot allow New Jersey voters to be relegated to second-class status in the presidential selection process."

Watson Coleman noted that legislation (S-2193/A-4010) posted for an Assembly floor vote on Thursday would change New Jersey's presidential primary date to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in February in presidential election years.  The measure would move New Jersey to the front of the pack of states involved in the presidential nomination process.

"If this legislation fails, New Jersey will be left in the political wilderness," said Watson Coleman.

If enacted, the legislation would ensure that New Jersey voters could be part of what political pundits are calling the biggest change in the presidential nominating process in decades.

According to the National Association of Secretaries of State, other states that have moved, or are considering moving, their presidential primaries to Feb. 5 are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada (GOP primary), New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.

Only a handful of other jurisdictions would hold presidential nomination contests before New Jersey if the change were to take place: the District of Columbia, Iowa, Nevada (Democratic caucuses), New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Wyoming (Republican caucuses).  North Dakota and Ohio have yet to schedule their contests, but also are expected to select February dates.

New Jersey's presidential primary has been held in June - the last in the nation - for decades. The late date, however, often left New Jersey voters in the lurch as the major parties effectively decided their respective nominees through primaries in other states months before New Jersey's.

To remedy the situation, legislation was enacted in 2005 to move New Jersey's primary date to the end of February. For 2008, that date would have been February 26.  But the effectiveness of that date change was compromised last summer when the Democratic National Committee rearranged its primary calendar so all but a select few states would have their primaries before New Jersey's.

To counteract this change, Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts has worked with Senate President Richard Codey to advance legislation that would further move up the date of New Jersey's presidential primary.

"For years, New Jersey's primary date guaranteed that our residents were left on the sidelines when it came time for selecting presidential candidates," Watson Coleman said.  "It's past time New Jersey voters had front-row seats in determining who should lead this nation."

The presidential primary date change measure has already passed the Senate.  If the Assembly passes the measure on Thursday, it would then be sent to Governor Corzine, who has already voiced support for changing the presidential primary date.

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