Early primary helps McCain

In a push to help presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama's campaign, Illinois Democrats moved up the state's primary to Feb. 5 from March.

But a day after Super Tuesday, as Obama and Hillary Clinton continue an intense battle to win their party's nomination, some political experts say Republican John McCain was the biggest beneficiary of the change.

It helped motivate grassroots movements and increase voter turnout, says Lance Trover, spokesman for the Illinois Republican Party.

"We had more voters than ever before for an Illinois primary. That's certainly a good thing," he said. "I think that means Republicans are excited for this election."

Yet the change also helped Obama, just as Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan -- also chair of the state party -- had hoped when he the proposed the change from March 18, his spokesman said Wednesday. The change also was aimed at adding a diverse state to the early primary season, spokesman Steve Brown said.

"It helped give Senator Obama a very convincing win in his own state and to his delegate count, and it offset Senator Clinton and what she might have scored with a convincing win in her own state," he said.

As for Republicans, he acknowledged the Illinois vote "advanced the cause of John McCain. They got a similar advantage."

Ron Michaelson, former director of the Illinois State Board of Elections, said McCain "has a leg up" in the national race, thanks in part to Illinois.

However, with delegate-rich state primaries like Texas and Ohio looming, Michaelson said Illinois could have been even more crucial for Republican candidates had it kept its primary in late March.

"Obviously on the Democratic side, this thing could go on for a while," he said. "If you really want to be a pivotal state, it looks like you're going to be one of the later primaries."

John Jackson, a political observer and author on primary politics at Southern Illinois University's Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, said he believes the state's move to Super Tuesday accomplished its purpose and helped both parties, especially Republicans.

"McCain, he's going to be the nominee before March 18," he said. "Why would the Illinois Republicans want to be superfluous as they would have been?"