Web posted
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Caucus shows desire for primary
Republican caucus is Saturday
By CARL MANNING
Associated Press Writer
TOPEKA -- The huge turnout for the Democratic presidential caucuses has some legislators wondering whether they did the right thing last year by not financing a presidential primary.
It also caused Republican leaders in some instances to look for larger meeting locations for their Saturday caucuses.
About 37,000 Democrats braved freezing temperatures and snow Tuesday night to show up at 50 caucus sites, more than three times as many as party officials had predicted.
''In some areas we are looking at bigger places, but we are pretty well prepared for a big turnout,'' Christian Morgan, state GOP executive director, said Wednesday. ''It's making sure we accommodate all the passionate Republicans out there.''
Morgan said of the party's 67 caucus sites, it has expanded the Shawnee County location and will either add a site or expand the four sites in Johnson County. He said the original estimate of 20,000-25,000 participants rose to around 30,000 and the party printed additional ballots.
Last year, the proposed state budget had $2 million for a presidential primary this year, but House and Senate negotiators removed it, leaving Democrats and Republicans with their caucuses.
Legislators couldn't predict that a year later both parties would have heated primaries and Kansas still could be a player in the Super Tuesday delegate count.
''Last year, we didn't think Kansas would matter that much and we had better places to spend the money. Looking back, I wish we had kept the primary,'' said House Minority Leader Dennis McKinney, a Greensburg Democrat. ''Now maybe we've found the right time to do it. Four years from now, maybe we should try it.''
But that may be iffy, said Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt.
''It's a long time until the next presidential election,'' said the Independence Republican.
Of concern is the expense of mounting a statewide election and making sure it's held when Kansas voters still can have a say about who gets the parties' nominations. The state's last presidential primary was April 7, 1992, and by then it seemed the obvious outcome would be Republican George Bush against Democrat Bill Clinton.
House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, an Ingalls Republican, said he would be willing to consider a primary ''if you can work it out where you don't make yourself irrelevant which we used to be.''
Republican Sen. Phil Journey of Haysville said GOP officials are underestimating the number of people who will show up Saturday. He predicted between 55,000 and 75,000. Morgan said those estimates are too high.
In the GOP race, John McCain has taken a commanding lead for delegates to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis in September. But he is far from having the number he needs, and Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee are still campaigning actively.
At stake in Kansas' GOP caucuses Saturday are 36 of the state's 39 convention delegates. The other three are state party leaders; State Chairman Kris Kobach has endorsed Romney, while the state's two representatives on the Republican National Committee have endorsed McCain.
Republican caucus is Saturday
Republicans in Cowley and Sumner counties will caucus Saturday at the high school in Belle Plaine, 822 N. Merchant. The caucus begins at 10 a.m. Doors open at 9:30. The GOP caucus is open only to registered Republicans.
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