This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Sept. 23, 2011 - Trapped amid Missouri's grappling over passage of economic development legislation is a push -- sought by leaders of both major parties -- to move Missouri's primary from February to March.
That legislation was included in Gov. Jay Nixon's special session call after the governor vetoed a more wide-ranging election bill earlier in the summer.
Some Missouri politicians in both parties want to move the primary because of fears the national parties will punish states that hold contests too early. As it stands, both parties have agreed that only Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina are to hold primaries before March 1.
The House quickly passed the bill earlier in the session. But when the bill was brought up late last week in the Senate, it got held up when two senators -- Republican Jason Crowell of Cape Girardeau and Democrat Tim Green of north St. Louis County -- raised objections. Crowell proposed that Missouri drop its primary in favor of a caucus to save money. Green called for keeping Missouri's primary in February, so the state would get more attention from presidential contenders.
As passed by the House, the primary bill also dramatically increases the filing fees for presidential candidates -- to $5,000 in 2012 and $10,000 thereafter -- with the money going to the state parties.
Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer, R-Dexter, said several times this week that other issues in the special session -- such as the primary bill -- may falter without passage of the stalled economic development package.
Mayer observed Thursday that Missouri isn't the only state with a pre-March primary still pending. "There are several states all across the country that at this point have not passed that legislation either,'' he said, citing Florida and Arizona among them.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles, said a Senate vote on Friday is "still under consideration."
In a statement to the Beacon, Missouri Republican Party Chairman David Cole expressed hope that the Senate would pass the primary legislation. "Across the country, state legislatures are acting to ensure their presidential nominating contests comply with RNC & DNC rules," Cole said.
"We actively support this change, and we are confident that the majority of senators do as well."
Matt Teter, executive director of the Missouri Democratic Party, said in an e-mail to the Beacon that the party is "still hopeful the Legislature will deliver a clean bill to the governor's desk that would move the primary election date to March."
Jo Mannies, Beacon political reporter, contributed information for this article.
