WASHINGTON (CNN) - Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm has signed legislation moving her state’s 2008 presidential primary to January 15, temporarily placing it ahead of New Hampshire in the heavily front-loaded nominating calendar. The law went into effect Tuesday morning.
“While political maneuvering will no doubt continue, our move to January 15th is final,” Granholm, a Democrat, said in a statement.
The move to mid-January violates both national Democratic and Republican party rules. In August, a Democratic National Committee panel voted almost unanimously to strip the state of Florida of its say in the nomination process unless it delays its primary, currently scheduled for January 29. The DNC is likely to impose similar penalties on Michigan.
New Hampshire, which has written its first-in-the-nation primary status into state law, was tentatively scheduled for January 22, but now is expected to move earlier. Iowa, with its first-in-the-nation caucuses tentatively slated for January 14, is expected to make a similar move.
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