JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Missouri House panel has endorsed legislation that would move the state's presidential primary to March 15.
The primary is currently scheduled for February but sponsoring Rep. Tony Dugger says keeping that date could cause Missouri to lose delegates at the 2016 national party conventions.
Dugger, a Hartville Republican, says moving the date would avoid a repeat of 2012, when the state held a non-binding presidential primary. Faced with losing delegates, state Republican officials decided that year to select convention representatives with a caucus system held after the election.
National party rules allow only certain states to hold contests before the March 15 date.
The House Elections Committee voted 10-0 on Tuesday to adopt the legislation. It now heads to the Rules Committee.
Presidential Primary is HB 1902
Online:
Legislature: http://www.moga.mo.gov