The latest on the Senate Government Operations Committee consideration of moving the primary earlier in the year is in the BFP today .The thinking is that an earlier primary gives the winner time to regroup and marshal resources for the general election .The second Tuesday in August was the date considered .It was noted that a June primary would “force candidates, including those for the Legislature, to file petitions in April, before the legislative session is over and before they’re ready to make a decision on running.” said committee Chairman Jeanette White, D-Windham.
Republican committee member Sen.Randy Brock believes democracy is painful ,expensive and apparently something to be avoided . “I just frankly am not at all in favor of lengthening the time, the pain, the cost,” Sen. Randy Brock, R-Franklin, said of the election season.
Doug Racine favors delaying this move until 2012 but other possible Democratic candidates favor the move .
“It’s hard if there’s a primary contest to bring supporters back together for the general election,” said Sen. Doug Racine, D-Chittenden, who has announced he intends to run for governor in 2010. Racine said he would support delaying implementation of the change until 2012 if people are going to argue that the move is tailored for the 2010 governor’s race.
In the Senate Government Operations Committee, support for the bill — which would move the primary from the second Tuesday in September to the second Tuesday in August — falls along party lines, and the bill is expected to pass out of the committee in a 3-2 vote Tuesday. Republican members don’t like it.