Merely Super Tuesday

Primaries are the essence of the single party state elections, replacing the importance of the general election, but the brief era of Texas' Republican dominance seems to be after its zenith. Lt. Governor Dewhurst expressed the opinion that he is considering running for Governor in 2010 – and the only reason someone who occupies the most powerful position in Texas politics would want to give that up is national aspirations. Dewhurst also expressed interest in running for national Senate (where he would face off against the popular Hutchison), but he can't seem to decide which office he wants to pursue. With his limited time comes the proposal for so-called Super Duper Tuesday, with support in the barely-Republican-controlled house, where the campaign season before state primaries is cut down significantly.

Some have argued that this will only allow well-off candidates, both politically and financially, a shot at any sort of election in the national landscape, but with the tide slowly turning toward an inter-party competitive political atmosphere, the Super Duper Primary seems to be losing its significance in Texas. Until Texas's Democrats pose a real threat at the national level, the benefits that other states see in moving the primary forward are lost in the Lone Star State. But there's whispering that Dewhurst is responsible for the earlier primary's stalling, an effort to give himself more time for his campagning to sink in with the public should he decide to run for the Senate, this perspective seems to preclude more readily available explanations, and though probably with a grain of truth, it's probably not the primary reason for Super Duper Tuesday's buffetting support.

W. Gardner Selby, a columnist for the Austin American Statesman, thinks it's simply a matter of fickle support among Republicans, and a pretty rational concern with the negative effects of moving the date outweighing the positive. According to a memo circulated by the Republican County Chairman's Association, moving the primary forward would put a huge amount of pressure on election officials, who would have to work straight through the holiday season. Texas is not a huge player in the national elections, at least not in terms of campaign money and media attention, but states like Arizona, Idaho, and Indiana are sorely battling for campaign tourism. This could change in the next decade or so if the Democrats organize their untapped support, but right now, adding the Duper wouldn't have an impact on Texas politics.