DFL Joins Race to Set Feb. 5 Caucus Date

It’s official: Minnesota Democrats today announced  they will match Republicans in holding their presidential caucuses on Feb. 5, 2008, pushing up the primary date more than a month ahead of its schedule.

The Minnesota DFL Party Tuesday approved the move overwhelmingly, effectively paving the road for the state to be part of a national trend that seeks an edge in the nomination process of presidential candidates.

“Earlier caucuses will give Minnesotans a greater say in who will be the next president of the United States and will hopefully engage more Minnesotans in grassroots politics,” Minnesota DFL Chairman Brian Melendez told the Associated Press.

In July, state Republicans moved their primary caucuses to the same date. A bill in the state legislature to formally move the state’s caucus from March to Feb. 5 has failed, despite bipartisan support. Each side blamed the other for the failure.

Because so many big states are holding their presidential primaries Feb. 5, some are already calling it “Tsunami Tuesday.”

But even with the change, Minnesota is likely to have no significant impact in selecting the next president of the United States. That’s in part because at least half a dozen influential states are poised to hold their presidential primaries in January, which will likely determine the nominees for each party.