DeKALB | Hype for the 2008 presidential elections started early, and so will the primaries.

On March 28, the Illinois House of Representatives voted to move up the Illinois presidential primary, from March 20 to Feb. 5. In 2004, the Illinois primary was on March 16.

“The Speaker [Michael Madigan] has been talking to the Democratic National Committee for two years,” said Steve Brown, spokesperson for Illinois Speaker of the House Madigan (D-Chicago). “He believes some urban state, other than Iowa or New Hampshire, ought to be in the early process of the primary selection process.”

The Democratic National Committee established party rules, placing Iowa and New Hampshire first. Any states that hold the primary earlier than Feb. 5 could lose seats in the party delegation, Brown said.

“The DNC likes the idea of tradition, and we’re not going to disrespect that,” Brown said.

The bill does have strong backing in the state.

“The Senate president [Emil Jones] has said he will support it, and the governor [Rod Blagojevich] has said he will support it,” Brown said. “We believe the change will happen.”

Many states voted to move up their primaries, with hopes of influencing the selection process.

“The reason states are pushing up their primary dates is so they can have influence over the nomination,” Streb said. “In the past, the nomination has basically been decided before states like Illinois have even cast their votes. What we are moving toward is a de facto national primary.”

California and New Jersey have also moved their primaries to Feb. 5.

“Feb. 5 is a pretty crowded date,” Brown said.

Because of the intended support for Obama, the bill has many supporters in Illinois.

“It’s hard to vote against this bill when you’ve got an Illinois citizen running for president,” said State Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-70th district).

Moving up the primary could alienate voters, Pritchard warned.

“I really think it’s bad legislation,” Pritchard said. “We’re going in the wrong direction when we make it even longer between the primary and the general election. Time is money, and citizens get tired of it.”

The premature push of all things 2008 may set earlier standards for the future.

“Everyone that wants to play this game will move things up even further,” Pritchard said.

However, changing the date of the primary may not matter for the Obama campaign, Streb said.

“I’m not sure that moving up the primary will automatically favor Obama,” Streb said. “Primaries are about perceptions, not results.”