Michigan Still Maneuvering

Michigan Still Maneuvering

While the date is now set, Michigan still has a trick up its sleeve for its calendar-violating Jan. 15 primary.

The Michigan Legislature meets Monday and may consider an amendment to the primary law that would force four major Democratic candidates back onto the ballot.

Just after Michigan announced its move to Jan. 15, all six leading Democrats signed a pledge not to campaign in any states that violated the Democratic National Committee's official calendar order of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. Four candidates -- Joe Biden, John Edwards, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson -- took that pledge a step further by taking their names off the Michigan ballot.

The proposed legislation would force those candidates back on the ballot unless they sign an affidavit swearing they are not running for president. Ballot Access News also reports that, while Republicans have settled on the primary, Democrats still haven't and may yet opt for a caucus.

In a post worth a read, Iowa blogger Cyclone Conservatives urges Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin to confront his colleague, Michigan's Carl Levin. Levin has long argued for an end to Iowa and New Hampshire's first in the nation status, and has been the driving force behind Michigan's leapfrogging this year. Levin has suggested a Michigan Democratic caucus on Jan. 8 -- New Hampshire Primary Day.

Meanwhile, the Huron Daily Tribune reports, the biggest losers in the Michigan battle may be local election officials. They were legally barred from making primary preparations while two state courts held the primary law unconstitutional. But the state Supreme Court reversed the lower court rulings Wednesday, and now county clerks have to expedite their efforts.