How Relevant Are We?
Saturday, September 1st, 2007For more than two years, I have criticized the move of New Jersey’s presidential primary. Once held in early June, New Jersey will now hold its primary on the 5 February 2008.
State Senate President Dick Codey led the charge for the change.
Today we are achieving the goals I set out in the State of the State address: to improve every New Jerseyan’s access, to make sure people have confidence in the voting system, and to make sure New Jersey’s votes actually mean something in the presidential primaries.
Codey, 7 July 2005
That was after Codey first enacted a change. Then states began leap-frogging New Jersey. Codey successfully got the primary moved again. Then he stated:
Now, New Jersey voters will finally have a voice in what is arguably the most crucial election of our generation.
For too long New Jersey voters have been bystanders during this critical phase of the electoral process. Judging by the early visits we’ve already received from Presidential contenders, it’s clear that this bill has already begun to make us more than just an ATM machine for candidates.
Codey, 15 March 2007
New Jersey is certainly showing its relevance in the 2008 presidential campaign. Next week the New Jersey Democratic Party is holding its convention in Atlantic City. Hillary Clinton will attend. Yet, no other Democratic candidate will. Even Garden State liberals are lamenting New Jersey’s irrelevance in presidential primaries:
It’s quite obvious we are still not relevant.
Earlier primaries do not make a state relevant. That only works for a couple. Yes, Iowa and New Hampshire have had a bonus being the first two up for a long time. But 50 states clamoring for those two spots do not make 50 states relevant. As I stated in 2005:
And while New Jersey may not be a huge player presently in national politics, it is perfectly positioned to be should a primary ever be contested. We get to be the decision maker. Moving to February does not offer that. And frankly, shouldn’t primaries be contested? If they are not, then what difference does it make when the Garden State votes? It appears the studies support this.
No one is campaigning in New Jersey because there is nothing to compete for. The high-ranking officials have already endorsed Hillary Clinton. The state is so blue, no Republican is going to squander campaign funds for votes that do not matter.
If New Jersey wants to be relevant, it needs to not tilt so heavily in favor of one party and one candidate. It needs to be more moderate. As long as the Democratic Party is controlled by leftists such as Menendez, Lautenberg, Corzine, etc., New Jersey will continue to be irrelevant.