Senate Spurns Early Presidential Primary

Worried that fund raising for their own elections might be cut short, state senators rejected a bill Tuesday that would have moved California’s primary from June to March in presidential election years.

The legislation--designed to make California a powerful force in presidential politics--fell four votes short of the majority needed to pass. Democratic leaders expressed concern that an earlier state primary might give lawmakers too little time to raise money and campaign for their own reelections.

Led by Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles), the senators complained that an appellate court’s decision ordering enforcement of a voter-approved ban against campaign fund raising in non-election years could leave many of them with fewer than three months to collect campaign funds.

Roberti urged the Senate to put off any decision on the bill until the state Supreme Court rules on the ban. Otherwise, he said, “we’re going to find we have elections and no way to campaign.”

“I don’t know how this (bill) impacts on us,” Roberti said. “My reaction now is to delay, to punt.”

Supporters of the legislation argued that their measure could have changed the course of history in the United States.

Under existing law, only North Dakota has a later primary than California. The bill would have moved California’s primary to the first Tuesday in March in presidential election years.

Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles), a supporter of the legislation, argued that if California’s primary is moved up, presidential candidates would be forced to tailor their campaigns to urban populations. And, he added, candidates who might have disappeared after a defeat in the Iowa caucuses or New Hampshire primary could be kept alive by the California vote since California offers the most convention delegates of any state.

As it is now, said Sen. Quentin Kopp (I-San Francisco), California’s primary is so late that in recent elections it rarely has had any impact on presidential nominations.

“The California primary has become largely irrelevant in the process of selecting candidates for President,” he said.

While Californians are called on to contribute huge sums to the campaigns of presidential candidates, they have not played a decisive role in the Democratic primary process since 1972 and in the Republican since 1964, he noted.

On the other hand, he said, California money has been poured into the Deep South and smaller states like Iowa and New Hampshire because they are the first to hold caucuses and primaries.

“In effect those states are selecting the nominees and Californians are paying the costs of those primaries,” Kopp said.

But with most of the Democratic leadership in opposition, the bill by Assemblyman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) failed on a 17-13 vote. Kopp immediately moved for reconsideration, which means the measure could be brought up again at a later date--probably not today but very possibly next year.

Republican leaders generally favored the legislation, saying they wanted to give California higher visibility in the presidential nomination process. Gov. George Deukmejian had indicated earlier that he supports the bill.

The measure has already passed the Assembly.