In a bit of a surprise announcement during his swearing in ceremony, Illinios House Speaker and Democratic Party Chairman, Michael Madigan suggested Illinois should move up its primary date from Mid March to the first week of February, according to the Chicago Tribune.
More on the flip
The stated purpose for the suggestion would be to help Illinois’ own, Barack Obama gain early momentum in the Presidential Primary race (I guess we ignore Hillary Clinton’s Illinois roots, which is fine by me).
The secondary impact though is probably the more relevant. Illinois has always been an afterthought in the presidential nominating process. It hasn’t played a vital role in the Democratic party’s nominating process in over 20 years, despite its solid blue status and its 21 electoral votes in the general election.
Even if Obama doesn’t gain the nomination, his rumored run may have real impact on Illinois polictics in the future.