Under legislation filed Friday by Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston), Texas would hold its primary elections a month earlier. SB 452 would move the primary from the first Tuesday in March to the first Tuesday in February. The primary runoff would likewise move up to the fourth Tuesday in April, and the deadline for filing an application for the primary ballot would occur on the second Monday in November (a little over a year before the general election). In a press release accompanying the filing of the bill, Sen. Patrick stated that the bill is intended to enhance Texas’ influence on the selection of the presidential nominees for both parties. A similar proposal in 1979 led to the notorious “Killer Bee” episode, in which 13 members of the Texas Senate broke quorum for several days late in the session to block a vote. In 1985, however, the Legislature ended up moving the primary from May to March, where it remains today.

Sen. Dan Patrick

Sen. Dan Patrick

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