RENO, NV -- Governor Bill Richardson, campaigning in Nevada, today released a statement regarding the Michigan Legislature's vote to move the state's primary date up to January 15.
"This continuing game of 'primary leapfrog' is not constructive and threatens to disrupt the entire process," said Governor Richardson. "I respect and support Iowa's and New Hampshire's rightful places as the first caucuses and first primary, respectively, in the nation, and I call on my fellow Democratic candidates to do the same. We'll deal with the remainder of the calendar when the dust settles."
Governor Richardson is also concerned that the scramble for early dates will negatively impact the Nevada Caucuses scheduled for January 19th.
"The Nevada Caucuses for the first time give the West a critical voice in the selection of the President," said the Governor. "This diversity is essential to ensure that Western values and issues and the concerns of minorities are directly addressed during the campaign."
Bill Richardson, Governor Bill Richardson Statement on Earlier Michigan Democratic Primary Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/294964