Michigan Poses Threat to New Hampshire Presidential Primary

By David Darman on Tuesday, March 18, 2003.

listen:

New Hampshire's "first in the nation" presidential primary is facing a new threat.

Some influential Democrats have proposed moving Michigan?s 2004 caucus to the same day as New Hampshire's primary.

Michigan's proposal is raising eyebrows around the nation.

And its got Democratic officials in New Hampshire and Washington D.C. on the defensive.

NHPR's David Darman has more.

Michigan Democratic Senator Carl Levin has written a letter to his state?s Democrats.

He?s urging them to move the party?s caucus date to the same day as New Hampshire?s primary.

Right now, the New Hampshire primary is tentatively set for January 27th, 2004.

Deborah Dingell is a member of the Democratic National Committee from Michigan.

She co-signed the letter with Senator Levin.

Dingell says the Granite State has too much influence on presidential politics.
35 22 Nh is a great state, for people in nh, I think its wonderful. But, I do not believe ..the issues that are raised in nh are reflective of the diversity of the democrats in this country. 35 36

Democrats in New Hampshire say Michigan cannot have its caucus on the same day as the Granite State.

They argue Democratic rules set by the DNC reserve the first contests for the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary.

Cathy Sullivan is New Hampshire?s Democratic Party Chairman.
07 13 Michigan has an opportunity to move its date up. The window for primaries and caucuses is February 3rd. that?s the kickoff date to hold a delegate selection event under the rules of the democratic national committee. 07 28

Michigan Democrats are set to consider moving their caucus at their next meeting, in April.

The proposal has strong support.

Aside from Senator Levin and DNC member Dingell, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm also supports the move.

But Democratic National Committee officials in Washington say Michigan?s possible incursion into New Hampshire political territory is forbidden.

Spokesman Giullermo (Gee-ir-mo) Meneses says DNC rules put Iowa and New Hampshire at the head of the caucus and primary schedule in 2004.
41 ?This was voted upon during 2002. the rules cannot be changed until after the election. Until the winter meeting, or something, in 2004. the rules cannot be changed. The rules are the rules. ..41 26

Those rules call for the DNC to penalize Michigan if the state?s Democrats hold a caucus on the same day as New Hampshire.

The penalty calls for the DNC to strip Michigan of half its delegates at the convention when it meets next summer in Boston.

DNC member Deborah Dingell says she thinks the DNC?s rules are unfairly stacked against Michigan.

And she adds that she and Senator Levin want to appeal their case to all the delegates.
35 306 we believe that if we take this to the floor of the convention, ?, that how we feel is actually reflective?of how democrats in the this country feel, that we will win. And that is why the leadership of the dnc does not want this to go to the floor of a more reflective convention, because, they don?t want to lose. 35 325

Dingell and Levin have also publicly doubted that the DNC would follow through with the penalty.

They?ve reasoned that the DNC needs to tread carefully when it comes to Michigan.

It?s a heavily unionized state that is very important for any Democratic presidential candidate.

Despite this argument, Michigan?s gambit could fail.

If no candidates campaign there because they respect DNC rules, Michigan?s threat could whither rather quickly.

Dick Gephardt of Missouri has already indicated he would honor DNC rules that put New Hampshire first.

So has John Edwards of North Carolina, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, and John Kerry of Massachusetts.

Judy Reardon is an advisor to Kerry.

She says if Michigan Democrats go ahead with their plan, they might not have much of an effect this year.

But Reardon says they could set a precedent that makes Democratic rules meaningless in the future.
22 01 ?if Michigan decided to violate the dnc rules, then what would stop Pennsylvania from doing that, or California from doing that or new york from doing that? I mean, that?s why you have rules and the time to deal with this is during the off years when there?s a midterm dnc rules committee meeting. ?22 44

Last year, Senator Levin did urge the DNC to remove New Hampshire from its place on the presidential primary calendar.

Guillermo (Gee-ir-mo) Meneses, DNC spokesman, says that was the proper time for Levin to make his case to the DNC.
41 34 ?He?s clearly had the opportunity to speak to our dnc membership and to our rules by laws committee. And then it went up for a vote, and it was nearly unanimous, so there really is no mechanism that the dnc can change its primary calendar at this point. 41 105

Democratic officials hope to work something out with the Michigan party long before they have to assess any penalties.

Its not clear whether Michigan?s possible move would invoke New Hampshire?s presidential primary law.
That law requires New Hampshire to hold its primary at least seven days before any other state.

But in the past, secretary of state Bill Gardner has declined to move New Hampshire?s date for an encroaching caucus.

He has said only a similar event, namely a primary, would cause him to move the date.