The Missouri presidential preference primary could have been meaningful this year. Three out of four remaining major candidates are on the ballot. Had the delegates counted in the Missouri primary, all three men might have been campaigning in the Show-Me State ahead of the early February decision process. By law, the General Assembly set Missouri's primary for today. Yet the Republican National Committee took exception to states such as Missouri "front loading" primary contests earlier in the year.
Instead, the state's GOP chose to have a caucus set for March 17. Here's a look at the primary as a bellwether for the national party and why this year, Missouri's primary election is meaningless.
Caucus vs. Primary
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the General Assembly passed a measure moving the primary from Feb. 7 to March 6 after national party leaders warned states that earlier primaries would be punished. Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed the legislation for things that were added to the bill, not just the primary date. In the veto session, state Senators felt as if Missouri should shun the will of national leaders and they failed to override the veto.
In the meantime, the state GOP intervened. They elected to have a caucus March 17 when the General Assembly failed to move the primary election. Because the primary is slated to occur by law, each county and precinct will hold the election which is estimated to cost $7 million. Turnout is expected to be abnormally low as Republicans will use the caucus to count delegates. Democrats will still use the primary to choose their candidate as incumbent Barack Obama is only mainstream candidate running.
Rick Santorum Campaigns Anyway
One candidate did make an appearance in the Show-Me State. Rick Santorum made a campaign stop in Columbia at Grace Bible Church alongside James Dobson. Santorum spoke to a standing-room only crowd as part of his speaking tour, according to the UM Maneater.
At the forum, Santorum claimed the Missouri primary will give donors and GOP members a chance to see other sides of political candidates. Newt Gingrich isn't on the ballot because he didn't pay the filing fee. Santorum sees that as a chance to make noise against Romney, the presumed front-runner.
Missouri is still seen as a battleground state. Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill faces a tough re-election campaign. Every presidential election but one over the past century in Missouri has picked the nationwide winner. The exception was 2008 when Sen. John McCain narrowly won over then-Sen. Obama.
Santorum was quoted by the Washington Post as saying he will "do exceptionally well in the state of Missouri." The nonbinding primary will serve as a veritable public opinion poll ahead of the state's caucus six weeks later.
William Browning, a lifelong Missouri resident, writes about local and state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Born in St. Louis, Browning earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Missouri. He currently resides in Branson.
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