Did Mitt Romney 'bully states' to rig the primary calendar?
Chaos breaks out as Republicans move primaries earlier in state after state — and the presidential frontrunner's rivals cry foul
The Republican primary calendar was thrown into turmoil this week, as Nevada Republicans — following in the footsteps of their counterparts in Florida — decided to hold their presidential caucuses a month earlier than originally planned. The move caused Rick Santorum to accuse Mitt Romney of bullying party officials, and raised the likelihood that the first contest in the 2012 primary process could occur right after New Years. Here's what you should know:
What exactly happened?
First, Florida tried to increase the Sunshine State's influence by announcing that its presidential primary vote would be held on Jan. 31, even though the Republican National Committee's rules state that only the four traditional early voting states — Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina — can go before March 6. Once Florida leapfrogged the pack, South Carolina moved its primary up to Jan. 21, and Nevada switched its caucuses from Feb. 18 to Jan. 14. It's unclear when New Hampshire's primary will be — but Iowa has now reportedly pegged Jan. 3 as the tentative date for its first-in-the-nation caucuses.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What does Romney have to do with this?
Officially, his campaign won't comment. But ex-Nevada Gov. Robert List said that the Romney camp, with its candidate polling well in the Silver State, lobbied hard for the change. "Romney's people were pushing for us to move into January," List said, as quoted in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "so that he could get some momentum and have a rising tide going into Florida."
And that's a bad thing?
It's certainly sparking infighting on the campaign trail. Santorum accused Romney of "trying to bully states" into rigging the election calendar to give the former Massachusetts governor a better shot. GOP hopeful Jon Huntsman also accused Romney of trying to "game the system."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Will the calendar chaos really help Romney?
It seems all but certain that there are suddenly fewer than 100 days before the voting starts. That clearly favors "candidates with the money and organizational muscle already in place to produce and capitalize on early wins in states such as Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, and Florida," says Howard Fineman at The Huffington Post. "That means Romney and, to a lesser extent, Texas Gov. Rick Perry." And when GOP candidates are accusing each other of "gaming the system," says Jed Lewison at Daily Kos, they'll all look a little silly.
Sources: Daily Kos, Huff. Post, Las Vegas Review-Journal, NY Times, Outside the Beltway, Politico
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Antony Gormley's Time Horizon – a 'judgmental army' of 100 cast-iron men
The Week Recommends Sculptures are 'everymen questioning the privilege of their surroundings' at the Norfolk stately home
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'King's horses take free rein through London'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is pop music now too reliant on gossip?
Talking Point Taylor Swift's new album has prompted a flurry of speculation over who she is referring to in her songs
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published