Cal Senate Votes To Move Presidential Primary To Feb To Save Their A- -es
The California Senate voted to move the state’s presidential primary from June to February in hopes of increasing the state’s political clout.The Senate passed SB 113 on a 31 to 5 vote, which would enable Democrats and Republicans to choose presidential nominees Feb. 5 instead of June 3. The five votes against were cast by Republican senators.
SB 113 is expected to also clear the Assembly and be signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger.
Lawmakers called a previous attempt at an primary a failure — ”An early primary didn’t make us any more relevant,” Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles) said in August 2004. “The only result was a lower turnout.”
Today, however, Nunez is a strong supporter of moving the primary again, but Nunez hopes to use an early primary ballot to ask voters to relax term limits to extend his own political career.
If voters agree, he would be able to run for his Assembly seat again in the primary election for legislative offices. Otherwise, he will be forced from that seat — and his Assembly leadership post — in 2008 by California’s term limits.
Of course, all termed out legislatures would benefit. The only questions is, “Will they attempt to extend State Constitutional Offices to 3 four year terms too?” and then the Governor could run for another term.