Breaking: SC Moves up Primary to Jan 19 same as NH Hold the Phone...More News is in

[Perky]

SC primary to be 1/19


The State's Aaron Sheinin is reporting that the South Carolina primary will be held on January 19th next year. Notably, SC GOP chair Katon Dawson is to make the announcement tomorrow in New Hampshire. He'll be joined by NH Sec/State Bill Gardner, signaling that the two states have coordinated the date.

The move keeps The Palmetto State the "first-in-the-South," ahead of Florida which is slated to hold their primary on Jan. 29th.

On edit

Sources: Republicans will vote Jan. 19
S.C. Republican Party chairman Katon Dawson is expected to announce Thursday that the 2008 S.C. presidential primary will be Jan. 19, sources close to the party and campaigns told The State.

Dawson will be in Concord, N.H., on Thursday, where he will officially announce the date at a news conference, S.C. GOP executive director Hogan Gidley said.

Efforts to reach Dawson were unsuccessful Wednesday.
New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner and other Granite State officials will join Dawson at the 11 a.m. news conference from the New Hampshire State House.

Legislation adopted by the S.C. General Assembly this year requires the state to fund and operate the primaries. But Chris Whitmire, a spokesman for the State Election Commission, said that the agency has not been given a date for the GOP primary.
South Carolina Democrats will hold their primary Jan. 29.

Cindy Costa, a S.C. Republican national committee member, said she did know that Dawson was having a news conference to announce the date.

She said the state party’s executive committee was meeting on Saturday.

“I’m just kind of surprised,” Costa said, adding that Dawson is a “great chairman.”

Costa said the Republican National Committee had set a Sept. 4 deadline for state’s to set their primary or caucus dates.

South Carolina’s Republican primary was tentatively scheduled for Feb. 2, but Dawson had vowed to make the S.C. primary earlier after Florida set its primary for Jan. 29.

[sabbat hunter]

1. why dont we

just move the primaries to this november? geez this is getting ridiculous.

both parties need to gain control and fix this and soon. the election season is long enough as it is. Reorganize the primaries!

[Perky]

5. There actually is a perverse logic here

Frontloading the primaries in theory gets the process over sooner.....but they also moved the COnventions back to late August... The notions in that the Candidates who win the nod early can spend longer raising cash before becoming the actual nominee and haveing to make a dsecsion on whther to accept federal matching funds.


Of course it also means a longer season to dif up dirt on the presumptive nominee.


The wierf thing about this that may wind up coming to bite both candidates on the butt is that the frontloading and compactes sechedule could very easily mean that aftet Tsanami Tuesday with its 20+ states we may not know who the nominee is and there may not be enought delgates left to win it outright.... That might mean ungly brokered conventions.

[bluestateguy]

2. Everybody wants to be first

And only one state can be first.

Part of the reasson why thee campaigns cost so much money is that they drag on longer and longer every four years, with ever earlier primaries.

[rinsd]

3. That changes the game significantly. And makes Sooper-Dooper Tuesday all the more looming.

[Perky]

6. I was thinking that it might well Hurt Clinton significantly

if she does not win any of the first three. SHe might be viewed as an also-ran....Thoughts?

Not picking a fight...just would be interested is chatting on strategy minutiae

[rinsd]

7. I think this makes NH a must win for Clinton now.

I think its her best shot for a win and one she must now bring home.

I have maintained for some time now that I thought either Clinton or Obama could survive a 3rd place finish in IA provided they got a 1st and 2nd in NH or SC (which state did not matter). But now to run simultaneous pushes in both states? Now I think regardless of what happens in IA (even a win), Obama and Clinton have to now get those 1st and 2nd place finishes or you could see Edwards make a big move.

What this also means in investments in Sooper-Dooper Tuesdays states have become that much more critical.

[Perky]

9. I am worried that after Tsunami Tuesday

that we will not have a presumptive witht he big three effectively tied and not eough delgates left to win it outright.

[rinsd]

11. I think that is unlikely though certainly possible.

I think whoever wins CA will win NY and vice versa and that is huge by itself.

[jefferson_dem]

13. As of now, this move is only for the GOP primary. The Dems are still scheduled for Jan. 29.

...for now. Personally, i would love to see SC Dems move up too...for obvious reasons.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007
S.C. Republicans to hold earlier primary
By Brian Mooney, Globe Staff

South Carolina Republicans will move up their 2008 presidential primary, setting the stage for New Hampshire and Iowa to schedule earlier contests to preserve their first-in-the-nation status.

William M. Gardner, New Hampshire's secretary of state, and Katon Dawson, chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, have scheduled a press conference at 11 a.m. Thursday at the State House in Concord to announce the changes.

New Hampshire requires a week in between its first-in-the nation primary and the next primary, so it will have to move up its contest, which was tentatively scheduled for Jan. 22 under a timetable set by the Democratic National Committee.

Gardner, who is empowered under state law to set the date of the Granite State primary, this morning would not detail any specifics, but said he will wait until he is certain all other states are locked into certain dates before finalizing the date of the New Hampshire primary. A bill pending in the Michigan Legislature could conceivably alter the schedule again, he said.

The acceleration of the presidential selection process was put in play May 3 when the Florida Legislature voted to move that state's primary to Jan. 29, four days before when South Carolina Republicans had planned their primary. Dawson immediately vowed that South Carolina would keep its first-in-the-South status.

The move would not affect the South Carolina Democratic primary, which is scheduled for Jan. 29.

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2007/08/sc_republicans.html

[rinsd]

15. Oh well it was fun while it lasted.

[Perky]

17. As I suspected there is some interesting backstory here

SC GOP chair may be in Kahoots with Fred Thomspson and his sagging campaign.

“There are still a lot of undecided voters in South Carolina, and Fred Thompson comes with enormous appeal — I’d call it Ronald Reagan-like appeal,” said Katon Dawson, the chairman of the Republican Party in South Carolina, which holds one of the first presidential primaries. “He has a lot of admirers and friends here, and I think he could convert those people into a political operation very quickly. All it takes is an appearance here, and money.”

http://thestatecom.typepad.com/ygatoday/2007/08/sources-republi.html

[sabbat hunter]

4. both parties

should do what they are doing with Florida.

if SC moves their primary date up, then their delegates will not be seated at the convention, will not have a voice there.

they are breaking the rules, common sense.

[BluegrassDem]

8. It's only moving for the REPUBLICANS

The Democratic primary will still be on the 29th.

[Perky]

10. Source? Link?

That is a huge difference. It woulod certainly favor Thompson and I suspect that might be the intent.

[jefferson_dem]

14. Here's a link - Only the GOP has moved for now.

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2007/08/sc_republicans.html

[Perky]

16. Apparently the state pays for both

You have to think this is meant to jumpstart Thompson

[Cameron27]

12. Oh boy. I thought Dean was going to

withhold delegates from anyone participating in the FL primary. Now what?