One day after filing for re-election in Raleigh, U.S. Congressman and former Duke professor David Price, D.-Dist. 4, spoke in Rubenstein Hall Tuesday night. He described recent changes he helped make in the presidential nominating process.
Price, co-chair of the Democratic National Committee's Commission on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling, talked about adjusting the rules of the primary season to create a winning presidential candidate with national appeal. The current system is biased toward Iowa and New Hampshire, two "non-diverse" states, he said.
Price explained how the commission made three key changes to the nominating process by diversifying the early contest of state primaries, spreading out the calendar of primaries after Iowa and New Hampshire and promoting more bipartisan cooperation for reform.
The commission spent 90 percent of its time focusing on the early portion of the nominating process, Price said.
He described Iowa and New Hampshire as two "non-representative, small states without rich ethnic traditions [positioned] at the front of the nomination calender year after year."
While Price said he does not believe every state could possibly play a role in the presidential nominating process, he does believe the system can be more representative.
Price recalled the vehement opposition his commission faced when attempting to make any changes that affected the two states' roles at the beginning of the election season.
Price said the situation is contentious, as both Iowa and New Hampshire "jealously guard against changing the current system," which allows substantial sums of money to pour in each Presidential election.
Republicans initially agreed to bipartisan reform, Price said, but President George W. Bush and advisor Karl Rove stepped in and prevented Iowa and New Hampshire from losing their highly lucrative primary positions.
Price went on to praise the "delicate compromise" the commission hammered out on the heated issue. Iowa and New Hampshire will maintain their frontrunner status for at least another election, but it will be easier for states with diverse populations to have earlier primaries.
After the first few states hold elections, the problem of frontloading arises-a situation in which each state desires to hold its primary as early as possible in the election season to have the most influence on the nomination process.
Consequently, the commission created what Price called a "more robust system" in which states that hold later primaries can get more delegates for national conventions. Under the new system, no more than five state primaries will be allowed in one week.
Price further criticized the current presidential nominating process, claiming that because state primaries and caucuses are bunched up so early, presidential candidates are selected as early as March, thus eliminating any political purpose of a party's national convention.
"There is no mystery whatsoever about anything from the Democratic or Republican conventions. The televised event has become a pageant," he said. "There is not a hint of dissent."
Price said his speech covered a topic people do not pay much attention to but should, considering the consequences and controversy surrounding it.
Despite the somewhat obscure topic, many audience members were intrigued by a speech that could broaden political discussion on campus.
"It was interesting to hear about an arcane issue not many people know of," said Luke Wang, School of Medicine '05.
Some, however, felt the speech could have focused more on current issues. "I wish he could have talked about the last election and how we wound up with [John] Kerry as a candidate," said sophomore Jane Chen.
Price serves on the House Appropriations Committee and its Homeland Security and Military Quality of Life/Veterans Affairs subcommittees. His constituency includes all of Durham and Orange counties, part of Wake County and a small section of Chatham County.
He taught political science and public policy at Duke before he successfully ran for Congress in 1986. He has served nine of the ten terms since. Price has authored four books on the American political system.
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