The Republican National Committee has announced it wants to hold its 2016 national convention as early as June. As Political Science Professor Thomas Schaller writes in an op-ed published January 28 in The Baltimore Sun, the decision to do so centers around finances.
“It’s a wise but also very sad decision because it confirms what most Americans already know applies to both parties: Money matters most,” Schaller writes.
In his column titled “In presidential primary schedule, money talks,” Schaller notes condensing the primary schedule and moving the convention earlier has two potential benefits: time and money. He writes moving the convention earlier gives parties more time to devote to the general election and also has campaign finance benefits.
“So at least in theory, a condensed primary calendar and earlier convention may prevent Republicans from wasting time and money on an end-of-summer convention that arrives too late to matter,” Schaller writes. “Once matching funds are no longer part of the equation, the financial penalty of an early convention disappears,” he adds.
You can read the full column in The Baltimore Sun here.
Tags: CAHSS, PoliticalScience
