The State Assembly voted today to move New Jersey's presidential primary to the first Tuesday in February, giving state voters the chance to be relevant in the presidential nomination process.
The vote was 59-20.
The Senate has already passed the bill, and Gov. Jon Corzine has said he will sign it -- making a 2/5/08 primary inevitable.
"This is not about partisan politics and it's not about any single presidential candidate," said Assemblyman Joseph Cryan, the Democratic State Chairman. "This is about New Jersey's role and relevance in the candidate-selection process. Being up-front and in the lead will give New Jersey a more prominent voice and a more significant role in the primary elections."
"There is a real cost in relevance with the late primaries, a cost paid through policy decisions in Washington that have been especially wrong in recent years," Cryan said. "We want a stronger voice and we want the presidential candidates to listen. If we want to increase our relevance then we want to be out in front."
"We've led the way on national political trends, we should also be in the forefront on the primary calendar. This is good for New Jersey and good for the country," said Cryan.
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