DENVER-
Despite warnings it could interfere with high school sports, spring break and the Final Four tournament, the Colorado Senate gave initial approval Thursday to a plan to move the state’s presidential caucuses to Feb. 5 to give the state a bigger national role.
The measure (House Bill 1376) faces a third reading before going back to the House, which passed a different version. The Senate vote was 20-14.
Sen. Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, said Colorado voters will be irrelevant in the national process of picking presidential candidates if the parties are forced to wait until the current date, the third Tuesday in March.
Opponents fretted, complaining that moving up the caucuses would give them less time to rally supporters and get them to the caucuses, that it would force them to ask for campaign donations during the Christmas holidays and that it would confuse caucus activists because it the date would be moved up only during presidential election years.
They also said it would force caucus supporters to choose between watching the state high school wrestling tournament and the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament or going to their caucuses.
“I think it will have a real detrimental impact. As much as I’d like to have Colorado be relevant in the presidential process, this isn’t the way to do it,” said Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray.
He said the February date could also interfere with the state high school basketball tournament and spring break.
Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhany, R-Colorado Springs, said Colorado still had trouble attracting presidential candidates when it did away with its primary and went to the caucus system in an effort to persuade presidential candidates to campaign in the state.
“It’s become about moot what Colorado does with its primary selection process,” McElhany said.
McElhany said the state’s nine electoral votes will pale in comparison to the number available in bigger states such as California, which moved up its primary to Feb. 5. He said candidates would be more likely to spend their time there.
Several other Western states have moved up their primaries and caucuses or are considering it. Nevada’s caucus is set for Jan. 19, between the Iowa caucus on Jan. 14 and the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 22. Utah and New Mexico have scheduled theirs for Feb. 5.
