It’s no secret that the General Assembly wants to move the date of the presidential primary to March 15th in order to avoid getting punished by the Republican National Committee. What many have not planned for is that the legislature might move all primaries to March 15th.

From a logistical and monetary standpoint, that might be a good idea. And it probably won’t get a lot of opposition from NC citizens, either. Why go to the trouble of holding two separate elections when only one would suffice? It saves time, and money. It’s a winner.

But, there is of course a political aspect to such a proposal. If you’re an incumbent legislator, moving the primary to March essentially gives your opposition two fewer months to raise money and build a campaign. It’s not a huge change but it would change the calculus a bit.

It could also have an effect on the U.S. Senate race. Two less months to get through a primary would provide a further disincentive for Democratic challengers to throw their hat in the ring, boosting Burr. Alternatively, it could mean Democrats unite behind their strongest candidate relatively earlier, avoiding a divisive primary and giving them more time to raise money for the general. It’s all up in the air at this point.

Moving all the primaries to March is also up in the air, too. It’s no guarantee but discussions are under way. And you can be sure that the political consequences of such a move will be a factor.

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