March 24, 2008
Posted: 04:40 PM ET
From CNN Political Research Director Robert Yoon (CNN) – Puerto Rico’s primary date has officially been switched to Sunday, June 1, making Montana and South Dakota’s June 3 primaries the year’s final Democratic presidential nominating contests. The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws committee approved Puerto Rico’s revised delegate selection plan on Monday afternoon. The territory was previously scheduled to hold caucuses on June 7, but Puerto Rico Democratic Party officials said that the June 7 date listed on its original plan was the result of a typo. Under Puerto Rico law, the event must be held on the first Sunday in June, but the original plan mistakenly listed the June 7 date, which is the first Sunday in June 2009, not 2008. Puerto Rico Democrats originally planned to hold caucuses, not anticipating that the Democratic presidential race would continue to be competitive into June. According to Puerto Rico party officials, the change was made to a primary to improve voter turnout and also to minimize any voting confusion that may stem from the caucus process. The last competitive Democratic primary in Puerto Rico was in 1980, when President Jimmy Carter narrowly edged Sen. Ted Kennedy. There are 55 delegates at stake in Puerto Rico — 36 district-level delegates will be elected at the June 1 primary; another 19 statewide delegates will be chosen at the state convention on June 21, but that selection will be based on the June 1 primary results. The territory also has 8 superdelegates. Puerto Rico has more delegates at stake at its primary than 34 other states and territories, making it one of the biggest prizes of the remaining 10 contests. The Rules and Bylaws Committee also approved some procedural modifications to the Guam caucuses, scheduled for May 3, but no substantive changes were made. Filed under: Puerto Rico |
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