States Seek Poll Position in Election Primaries

The 2008 presidential election has been highly unusual. It started earlier than any other race in recent memory and has attracted unprecedented sums of money -- already $265 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. In keeping with the accelerated pace, there's an ongoing battle to see which state will kick off the primary calendar.

The upheaval has thrown a wrench into the calculations of political strategists. Some of the potential changes threaten to diminish the importance of two big states -- California and Florida.

We are about four months away from the first possible primary, and amazingly the calendar hasn't been set. Both Florida and Michigan have signaled changes, forcing Iowa and New Hampshire to consider changing their dates, too. Some wonder whether voting will begin as soon as New Year's.

Big states have long coveted the roles of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in deciding the presidency, and some, including California, New York and Ohio, have moved their primaries forward in an attempt to play a greater role in the election. Twenty-one states will hold primaries (or caucuses) on Feb. 5, or Tsunami Tuesday as some are calling it, representing the majority of Americans.

But Florida and Michigan don't want to throw their lot in with the other big states. Michigan's Senate voted last week to move the state's primary to Jan. 15, in advance of the smaller states' primaries. This aggressive move, which Michigan's governor hasn't approved, could be rebuked by the Democratic Party, just as it punished Florida over the weekend.

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