Early primaries feed local economies
States like Florida and South Carolina are jockeying to move their primaries and caucuses earlier than ever. It's mostly about political clout, to be sure, but early primaries are a boost for local economies too. Steve Tripoli reports.
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Doug Krizner: Republicans in South Carolina moved up their presidential primary to January 19, forcing other early-voting states to do the same and balloting could be happening as soon as December. As Steve Tripoli reports, that could boost local economies.
Steve Tripoli: Iowa official Shawn Rolland says the state’s 2004 caucuses brought in between $50 and $60 million.
Shawn Rolland: And that was without a significant Republican primary. I would assume that adding the Republican side in would add tens of millions more onto that economic impact.
When New Hampshire last checked in 2000, their first-in-the-nation primary was worth $230 million. Sounds like a lot, but New Hampshire economist Dennis Delay says it’s just another event.
Dennis Delay: It’s not much larger than running a NASCAR race at the International Speedway.
And Delay says the winnings aren’t widely spread.
Delay: The parts of the economy that really benefit are primarily the media outlets, some of the hotels and maybe, commercial/retail space.
New Hampshire law says the state’s primary always has to be the nation’s first, but if other states aren’t listening and somehow manage to nudge ahead, Delay says New Hampshire’s economy wouldn’t miss out on much.
I’m Steve Tripoli for Marketplace.