Suburban Democratic state Sen. Susan Garrett talks about the competition to become Gov. Pat Quinn’s running mate.

For Part 2 of the conversation: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/2433/garrett-talks-lt-gov-part-2/

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Suburban Democratic state Sen. Susan Garrett talks about the competition to become Gov. Pat Quinn’s running mate.

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By Kevin Lee 217-528-9604

SPRINGFIELD  — Lawmakers are pushing two proposals to move back the state’s primary election date.

They say voters and constituents are not satisfied with the current February date.

State Representative Elaine Nekritz is proposing a law that would push the primary back to March.

The Suburban Democrat says lawmakers moved the date from March to February to boost Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008.

State Representative Dave Winters says a later primary would give voters and media more time to discuss the candidates.

The Rockford Republican says voters and media may have dismissed Scott Lee Cohen had the primary been held at a later date.

Cohen won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, but withdrew Sunday due to concerns of a previous allegation of domestic violence.

Another proposal from House Republican Leader Tom Cross would move the primary back to June.

State Senator Michael Frerichs says a new primary date should not interfere with budget talks that take place in early summer.

The Champaign Democrat wants to make sure lawmakers are not trying to juggle election bids with legislative duties.

Lawmakers did not know when changing the primary date would be discussed.

EDITOR’s NOTE: Extra graf available.

Republican State Senator Gary Dahl thinks moving the primary back would boost voter turnout, which was around 20 percent during last week’s election.

Dahl says voter turnout is low in February in part because of the difficult winter conditions.

By Kevin Lee 217-528-9604

SPRINGFIELD  –  Lawmakers say voters and candidates are not satisfied with February’s primary election date.

So they’re trying to push back the day when voters choose their party’s nominees.

Lawmakers and then-Governor Rod Blagojevich approved of a February primary date to boost Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.

State Rep. Dave Winters, R-Rockford, said a later primary would give voters and media more time to discuss the candidates.

020910Winters1                                                :12                                                …been the nominee.”

Cohen won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, but withdrew Sunday due to concerns of a previous allegation of domestic violence.

Republican State Senator Gary Dahl thinks moving the primary back would boost voter turnout, which was around 20 percent during last week’s election.

020910Dahl1                                                            :12                                        …because of the weather.”

Lawmakers say they did not know when legislative committees would discuss their proposals.

EDITOR’s NOTE: Extra clip available.

020910Frerichs1                                                :13                                                         …the best date.”

State Sen. Michael Frerichs, D-Champaign, said a new primary date should not interfere with budget talks that take place in early summer.

By Kevin Lee 217-528-9604

SPRINGFIELD  –  In the wake of an eventful election, lawmakers are seeking to push back the date when voters pick their party’s nominees.

House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, has introduced legislation that would move the primary election to June.

State Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Des Plaines, has proposed a law moving the primary back to March.

Cross introduced his proposal last May, while Nekritz introduced her plan last month.

Lawmakers passed and then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich approved in 2007 of advancing the date of the state’s primary elections to February.

Nekritz said lawmakers moved the primary date from March to February, in part, to accommodate for the presidential campaign of then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama, an Illinois resident.

But Nekritz added that attitudes towards the early primary date have since changed.

“With the constituents, the candidates, there was the general sense that there was not adequate time for grassroots efforts and the issues to develop (because of the February primary),” she said.

State Rep. Dave Winters, R-Rockford, said a later primary would give voters and media more time to discuss the candidates.

“We did see with Scott Lee Cohen, I think if you had given it another two or three weeks, that it very well could have been that some of the other candidates would have highlighted his weaknesses and he would not have been the nominee.”

Cohen was voted the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, but stepped down on Sunday due to concerns over a previous allegation of domestic violence.

State Sen. Gary Dahl, R-Granville, thinks moving the primary back would help voters avoid the difficult weather conditions they experienced during last week’s primary election.

Dahl said snowfall and wind may have dampened voter turnout, which was around 20 percent for the recent primary election.

“Had the primary been today, [voter turnout] would have been 10 percent instead of 20 percent. So if you get to April or later, your chances of having turnout are better simply because of weather,” he said.

State Sen. Michael Frerichs, D-Champaign, said moving the primary date back would be beneficial, but holding a primary in June would be difficult.

“I think moving it to June will make it very difficult to get anything done with the budget at the end of the year if you have members running in primaries who want to get back home campaigning. I think that unless you want to move it back to August or so, I think March is probably the best date,” Frerichs said.

Nekritz previously introduced legislation to move the primary back to August, but said there would be complications with a primary so close to the November general election.

The state and local election boards would have to prepare ballots and organize early voting efforts within a matter of weeks, Nekritz said.

The Des Plaines Democrat said she had no timeline on when a legislative committee would hear her proposal.

By Kevin Lee 217-528-9604

SPRINGFIELD — The state’s primary election is less than two weeks away, but many state lawmakers don’t need to worry about campaigning.

State records indicate that out of the 139 seats in the General Assembly up for election this year, only 21 sitting lawmakers face primary opponents.

106 incumbents will get a free pass in the primary, while 12 seats are open as a result of a lawmaker retiring for seeking a different office.

Incumbents benefit from face time with voters and an advantage with fundraising according to Kent Redfield, a political science professor at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

These advantages discourage individuals from challenging already-entrenched lawmakers.

“It’s hard for a challenger to raise money…An incumbent can raise money that’s non-partisan money that’s understood as access to power, “ Redfield said.

Voters decide on their party’s candidates in the primary election, which takes place on Feb. 2.

The early primary date, which took effect in 2008, also gives sitting lawmakers an advantage over potential opponents, says David Morrison, deputy director at the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.

“It can be difficult for a challenger to decide, ‘I’m so upset with how the incumbent is handling things that I’m going to start circulating petitions and raising money.’ And all that really has to happen July, August, September so you can file in October and be on the ballot come February,” he said.

Morrison also says that during the general election, about half of the lawmakers on the ballot will face no opponent.

One reason why so many lawmakers don’t have opponents is because of the way legislative maps are drawn, which creates many “safe” districts for lawmakers.

The legislative map will be redrawn next year. Redfield would like to see fewer safe districts and more competition.

“Elections are certainly about winning, but they’re also about informing citizens and engaging ideas, so it’s always good to have elections and to have competition…So from the citizen standpoint, not having choice and not having competition, I think is a minus,” he said.

But Morrison said too much competition could create contentious campaigns that do more harm than good.

“Partisan primaries are the worst system, except for the rest of them,” Morrison said.