The One Day National Primary

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Summary

Often pundits return to the simple solution of holding a nationwide primary on a single day, rather than proceeding state by state.

Discussion

Though a one day national primary would remove difference between states and force candidates to campaign in more geographically diverse areas prior to the election, it would remove all the advantages associated with a graduated nomination schedule.

Retail politicking that can allow less well funded candidates to get their messages out early and attract attention would all but be wiped out under this system. A national primary would favor the candidates with the largest war chests, and be fought almost exclusively by television and radio advertising. This is, of course, conjecture only at this point, but it cannot be denied that reducing the election to a single flash point aids front runners and big spenders and denies other candidates the process through which to build momentum.

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