A Primary Letdown in Virginia

In the past, Virginia presidential primaries have been kingmakers. But Old Dominion primary voters probably won't matter in 2008 because legislators in Richmond have abandoned the state's formerly influential place on the nomination calendar.

Virginia's presidential primaries will be held on Feb. 12, after more than half the states have spoken on the presidential candidates. As many states have rushed into a nomination scheduling free-for-all, Virginia has been standing still. Next year, Super Tuesday -- effectively the crowning moment for every Democratic and Republican nominee since 1992 -- will take place the week before Virginia votes.

While the state has never had the nomination clout of Iowa or New Hampshire, the Old Dominion traditionally has been one of the first large states to weigh in on the candidates still standing after the early contests. By being close to the starting line, Virginia voters played key roles in selecting past nominees.

Three years ago, Virginia Democrats dashed the hopes of then-Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) for a Southern-based comeback against Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). Six primaries and six caucuses took place before Virginia's primary that year.

In 2000, the campaign of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was dealt a near-fatal blow in the state after he described the Revs. Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell as "agents of intolerance." Virginia's 2000 GOP primary was the sixth primary and ninth delegate selection event that year and helped seal George W. Bush's nomination.

Four years ago, the Old Dominion voted two weeks after the high-profile New Hampshire primary. In 2008, the gap between the two states will be at least a month. In both 2000 and 2004, Virginia voters had their say ahead of such larger states as California, Florida, Texas, New York and Ohio. Now all those states are planning to select their delegates on Feb. 5 or even earlier.

Past presidential nomination campaigns have spent a lot of money in Virginia. Even if 2008 becomes a drawn-out competition, the exhausted, battered and broke campaigns competing in Virginia will have little money and little time to spend there.

Little can be done now to reverse Virginia's unilateral scheduling disarmament. The General Assembly would need a special session to set a new primary date, an unappealing step for lawmakers in the middle of their own legislative campaigns. But Virginia can fix this problem in the future. The state should follow the example of New Hampshire, where the legislature makes sure the state is first by authorizing state election officials to set the primary date as early as needed.

Lawmakers in Richmond should declare that Virginia's 2012 presidential primaries will take place two weeks after the first primary -- just like in 2004 -- and leave the final scheduling to the bipartisan Virginia State Board of Elections. That would be a low-cost way to restore the Old Dominion's influence in presidential nomination contests and restore the economic boost that comes from having a primary while it still matters.

-- Stephen J. Farnsworth

Fredericksburg

The writer is an associate professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington.