Republican presidential candidate John McCain says if the nation’s two major political parties don’t put a stop to the rush among state to crowd their presidential selection contests earlier and earlier, then congress should step in and do something.
"But I would hope that the parties would realize that the situation is a complete disaster in many respects," McCain says.
Iowa’s Caucuses have historically gone first, but other states are re-scheduling their primaries and caucuses earlier in hopes to getting the presidential candidates to campaign in their states.
"I just think it’s wrong to crowd it up like that. I don’t think that it gives people enough of an opportunity to examine the candidates," McCain says. "When (1976 Democratic presidential candidates) Mo Udall and Jimmy Carter were the two finalists they campaigned, I think, for 13 weeks…now, Mo came in second in every one of ’em, but still. People just aren’t having an opportunity to examine the candidates and if Iowa has to push (the Caucuses) up, what happens to the Christmas season?"
McCain, an Arizona senator, ran for president once before and back in 2000 — when Delaware was attempting to crowd New Hampshire’s primary date — McCain promised not to campaign in Delaware. As you may recall, though, McCain didn’t campaign here either back in 2000, but he is now an advocate of the Iowa Caucuses.
McCain says with a majority of states now planning to hold primaries or caucuses on or before February 5th, it will likely be the candidate who has the most money who wins. "The whole thing is wrong," McCain says. "The whole process is wrong."
McCain made his remarks late Sunday afternoon at a campaign stop on a farm near Gladbrook. He’s scheduled to campaign in western Iowa on Labor Day and will help dedicate a veteran’s memorial in Neola.