Some call Missouri presidential primary meaningless 'beauty contest'

Missouri's presidential primary is 34 days away, but local members of both political parties say the GOP's statewide move to a caucus system this year has largely rendered the Feb. 7 election a meaningless -- albeit expensive -- "beauty contest."

Even former House speaker Newt Gingrich, a high-profile contender for the Republican nomination, called it a conscious decision not have his name on the Missouri ballot.

"It's a waste -- we're going to have one of the most expensive polls in the history of the state of Missouri," said Scott R. Clark, Cape Girardeau County's recorder of deeds and a member of the state's Republican committee.

And on Tuesday, as Iowa voters turned out for their famous caucus that kicks off the presidential election season, Democrats and Republicans pointed fingers at each other about who's to blame for Missouri's primary impotence.

Some, such as Clark, pointed to Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, who last July vetoed an elections bill that would have delayed the primary based on other concerns not related to the primary date. Some suggested that Missouri lawmakers should have been able pass a bill during October's special session that would eliminate the primary altogether.

Others, including Republican state Sen. Jason Crowell, laid the blame at the feet of state party leadership for the shift to the caucus system to comply with national GOP rules.

"It's made Missouri completely irrelevant," Crowell said. "It's all been done because a few select people made that decision to kowtow to national party edicts."

The Missouri Republican Party voted in September to move to a caucus system that begins in March to allocate the state's 52 presidential delegates. The party said its decision was made to stay in compliance with the rules of the national GOP that prohibits most states from holding presidential nominating contests before March 6.

Violating states were threatened with the loss of half of their delegates to the Republican National Convention. But Crowell said other states have ignored the rule, including Florida, West Virginia and Nevada, without punishment.

The bill for the election, estimated to be between $4 million to $8 million by the Missouri Secretary of State's office, should go to the party, Crowell said, instead of taxpayers.

John Heisserer, a Cape Girardeau resident and member of the Democrats' statewide committee, agreed that it's a meaningless election.

"They've turned it into nothing but a beauty contest for the Republicans who caused it to happen in the first place," he said. "It's the result of a dysfunctional legislature last year. They couldn't get their act together."

Heisserer was referring to what happened in October, when the Republican-led state Senate deadlocked on a 16-16 vote to eliminate the primary election. After three hours of contentious debate, the senator who introduced the bill pulled it from the floor, effectively ensuring that the primary would happen.

With President Barack Obama obviously a lock for the Democratic nomination, local Republican party leaders and elections officials are now working to organize for the primary and the caucuses that follow it.

Cape Girardeau County Clerk Kara Clark Summers, for example, said that the polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 7, when she predicts about 32 percent of Cape Girardeau's County's 51,768 registered voters -- about 15,530 -- will turn out for what is technically a presidential preference primary.

Voters will have to choose a party ballot, with options of Democratic, Republican, Libertarian and Constitution. The GOP ballot contains 10 candidates, and four are on the Democrat ballots -- three most have never heard of and of course the incumbent president. The Libertarian party has one candidate on its primary and the Constitution party has none.

An exception will be in Jackson, Summers said, where there will be a nonpartisan ballot available for those who wish to vote on the Fruitland annexation question.

The estimated cost for the overall election is $71,627, which includes the Jackson city election, but the state is paying the $64,374 for the primary, Summers said.

Cape Girardeau County Republican party chairman Evan Trump said the first GOP caucus will take place March 17, tentatively scheduled for the University of Missouri Extension office in Jackson.

All Republican registered voters will be given the opportunity there, he said, to elect 36 delegates and alternates to go the congressional district conventions April 21.

At each of these eight conventions across the state, delegates chosen at the county level will select three delegates and alternates to the national convention and one presidential elector, Trump said.

At the state convention in June, delegates chosen at the county level will vote on 25 at-large delegates to the national convention and two at-large presidential electors. The delegates and alternates will be required to declare allegiance to a candidate before voting and they will be bound to that candidate on the first ballot.

But Trump, who said he doesn't like the fact that so much money is being spent on the primary, is hopeful the primary won't be pointless. He believes that the results can influence how some delegate ballots are cast.

"If people see one strong candidate come out of the primary, it might help some people make up their mind," Trump said. "I can see the primary results swinging a few votes at the convention."

smoyers@semissourian.com

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