We see that Illinois Senate President James “Pate” Philip wants to move the primary from March to September to reduce the time spent campaigning and, with it, cut the amount of money candidates need to raise (Metro, May 5).
Like most things in politics, the solution is compromise.
Objections to the Philip plan center on presidential years, when convention delegates are elected. A reasonable objection.
Certainly, the primary should be moved. The obvious compromise is moving it from March to June.
In the days of Mayor Richard J. Daley, the primary was in April. We tinkered with a June primary once, 30-plus years ago, and then settled on March.
There has been a move on the national scene to create regional primaries, moving the primaries in a given part of the country to the same date, so presidential wannabes can campaign more efficiently. Illinois should do what’s best for Illinois, not what’s best for the pollsters and the networks. Our presidential primary is non-binding, anyway–just a popularity contest. Illinoisans can declare their preference in June just as easily as they can in March, with just as much– or just as little–impact on the outcomes as is the case now.
And although it doesn’t happen often, look at this year’s calendar. Can you imagine anyone in politics preferring to be a poll-watcher or a precinct captain on St. Patrick’s Day, rather than marching in the parade or celebrating in some other, warmer way.
