February 9, 2015
(http://www.woai.com/articles/woai-local-news-sponsored-by-five-119078/measure-would-move-texas-primary-to-13236040/#ixzz3RSmbeG5E)
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San Antonio State Representative Lyle Larson today introduced a bill that would shake up the 2016 Presidential nominating season. Larson wants to move the Texas primary from March to January.
“We should no longer tolerate playing second fiddle to states that are a fraction of the size of Texas and are much less impacted by federal overreach and abdication of federal responsibilities that adversely impact our economy and state budget,” Larson said. “We are Texas and we deserve to play a meaningful role in the decision that elects our next President.”
Any primary move would have to win the approval of the Democratic and Republican parties. Some in both parties have long complained that Iowa and New Hampshire, the home of the first Presidential caucus and primary respectively, are older and whiter than America as a whole and don’t give minorities and younger voters an opportunity to have an early voice in the process.
Larson says his bill would mean a ‘massive financial benefit’ to Texas, because candidates, their campaigns, and reporters from around the world always flock to New Hampshire and Iowa each election year winter, bringing with them huge amounts of money and publicity.
Larson’s bill would also break apart the so called ‘Super Tuesday’ in March which, since Texas joined it in 1988, has itself exerted an outsized influence on the nomination process.
In 2012, for example, several major candidates, including Rick Perry, had already dropped out of the running before Texas even had a chance to vote.
Before 1988, Texas had even less influence in the political process. Its primary then was in May.
