Early primary gives Illinois a bigger say
SPRINGFIELD -- A three-month political sprint to the earliest primary in Illinois history began Monday as candidates began filing paperwork to get on the Feb. 5 ballot.
Outside the state's election headquarters, supporters of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and myriad other Democratic and Republican hopefuls for everything from the White House to the statehouse to a sanitation district board lined up around the block in the morning hours to get their petitions in on the first official day.
The expedited campaign season will have voters heading to the polls just after the Super Bowl this year, six weeks earlier than usual.
The move was pushed by the state's Democratic powers in an effort to boost the White House aspirations of Obama, a Chicago Democrat. When Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan proposed the move earlier this year, he said the idea was to make Illinois' vote matter in the nomination process.
Primary poll watchers expect it to work.
"We have a chance to have a little more influence than we had the last two or three cycles, where we had zip to say about either nomination for either party," said John Jackson, a political scientist at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale who's followed Illinois political primaries for years.
"But we also have to struggle to be heard when New York and California … are going that same day. So it's a mixed bag."
Although the early date was pushed by Democrats to help one of their own, Illinois Republicans are similarly hoping the early election will generate more attention on the GOP side and help rebuild the fractured party here.
Former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar said Illinois Republicans are likely to gain more from the early primary than Democrats. With the GOP nomination up for grabs and no favorite son in the Republican field, the entire array of candidates is more likely to come courting Illinois voters.
"It's been a long time since we've really been involved in the primary," said Edgar. "This gives the Republicans in particular a chance to have some input in the presidential race."
Candidates have until Nov. 5 to file their nominating petitions to get on the February ballot. The last day to register to vote is Jan. 8.