Exec. Dir. Of SC Repub. Party Says Newly-Chosen Jan. 19 Date Not Set in Stone

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Exec. Dir. Of SC Repub. Party Says Newly-Chosen Jan. 19 Date Not Set in Stone Head of SC Dem. Party Holding Line on Jan. 29 Date To Avoid Severe Penalties Says Dem. Calendar 2-3 Months Away From Being Settled

NH Secretary Of State Declares NH Primary Will Be Earlier Than Jan. 22

For Immediate Release
August 10, 2007

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Columbia SC...During the Friday edition of South Carolina ETV Radio's "The Big Picture on the Radio," the executive director of the South Carolina Republican Party, the chair of the Democratic Party in South Carolina and the Secretary of State from New Hampshire discussed the volatile climate surrounding the selection of primary dates for their respective states, and their very different solutions for dealing with that reality.

In response to a question from host Andrew Gobeil, as to whether the selection of Jan. 19 for the SC Republican Party primary-as announced yesterday-means that date is set in stone, Hogan Gidley, exec dir of the party said:

"No. It doesn't. It means that the 19th is the date we plan to hold our presidential primary...We can still move it if we want to. I'm not saying we won't, I'm not saying we will, I'm saying I know we are going to maintain our "First in the South" status. Whether we try to keep that "Second in the Nation" status, I'm not too sure."

When asked if New Hampshire could be holding its primary in 2007, Secretary of State Bill Gardner said:

"I certainly hope not. I hope that it is not this year...People have been saying 'Well, we're scheduled to go on a certain date, on Jan. 22'...but the Democratic National Committee said 'You have to go on Jan. 22,' but we never made that our date...

"If you are asking me if our primary will be on the 22nd, or if it's going to be earlier than that, it is going to be earlier. We have a state law that determines when our primary (is held). It's not the Democratic National Committee that tells NH when it has to have (its primary). We don't have a date that is set by the Democratic National Committee, it is set by the people of NH through the laws that their representatives (passed), and it's paid for by the people of NH."

When asked if Jan. 29 remains the date for the Democratic primary in SC, Carol Fowler, chair of the state's Democratic Party said:

"Yes, it is. The Democratic National Committee told us that we can have our primary anytime, but no earlier than the 29th of January. The penalties for disobeying that rule are quite severe, so we don't intend to violate it. If (NH) sets the primary date in NH earlier than the 22nd, the Democrats in NH will be subject to the same kind of penalties that we would be if we moved ours earlier.

"We can lose up to all of our delegates for the first thing. And you have to remember that the point of these primaries is to instruct the delegates from this state how they must vote at the presidential nominating convention. So that if you have no delegates, your primary becomes meaningless."

Later, when asked, "Do you feel that if SC holds its Democratic primary earlier than Jan. 29 (maybe the same day the Republicans are now holding theirs), that when the Democratic convention is held in 2008, they won't seat SC delegates?" Fowler replied:

"Well, that's certainly what the rules say. I do think though that the Democratic National Committee intended for SC to have the first Democratic primary in the South and I continue to think that's the desire of the Democratic National Committee.

"The process has moved earlier and earlier. I'm not sure that's good for the process. I'm not sure that it's good for the candidates of either party. The two national parties have tried to prevent that. The Republicans by saying, 'No state may have their process earlier than Feb. 5 and the Democrats by saying the same thing, but making an allowance for four states, including SC, to be earlier. The Republican penalties are not so severe in SC. Republicans have chosen to ignore that rule and I have chosen to abide by the Democratic rule."

When asked if she has spoken to Democratic Congressman Jim Clyburn, who recently said the possibility exists the Democratic primary might move to an earlier date, Fowler said:

"We have talked about it any number of times and I believe that he agrees with me that the only way we would move, is with the blessing and the instruction of the Democratic National Committee."

And has she communicated with the DNC to see if SC could possibly move to the Jan. 19 date, so both parties' primaries would be on the same date?

"Well, if we decide to do that, it's not time yet. Until the whole calendar is situated and settled down, it wouldn't be appropriate to talk about moving our date....Right now we're just waiting with interest to see what NH does, what ends up happening in FL, what some other states do-the calendar is two, or three months, I think, from being settled on the Democratic side."

Contact: Catherine Christman (803) 737-3259 or christman@scetv.org