GOP Penalizes 5 Early Primary States

Candidates bow to pressure from states protecting their early primaries

(NEWSER) - Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama joined three of their presidential rivals yesterday in pledging not to campaign in states that have defied Democratic primary rules by pushing their primaries to early 2008. In recent weeks, Michigan and Florida have announced votes before February 5, challenging the first dibs the party has reserved for Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. More»

SC to jump to January, pushing primary schedule as early as December

(NEWSER) - South Carolina's Republican Party is about to shift its primary to January 19, triggering a chain reaction of primary rescheduling that is infuriating candidates and campaign managers, the Washington Post reports. The New Hampshire primary will likely be rescheduled for early January and the Iowa caucuses as early as December. Other states, seeking to make their primaries more important, are also still angling for early dates. More»

Northeast, Midwest would lose seats if today's census was used

(NEWSER) - The South is gaining population and power at the expense of the Northeast and Midwest, according to Census Bureau estimates released yesterday. If House seats were distributed based on the estimates, which are believed to be a strong predictor of the 2010 census results, Texas would be the big winner, gaining three seats, with Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington each adding one. More»

Some states love small business a little more than others. CNNMoney names the top 10

(NEWSER) - If you want your seed of genius to grow, plant it in the right soil. CNNMoney finds the most small-business-friendly states:

1. South Dakota: No tax personal income, capital gains, corporate income, or corporate capital gains and low energy costs.
2. Nevada: No income, capital gains, corporate income, or corporate capital gains tax and some of the country's lowest property taxes.

How many get As? A big fat zero

(NEWSER) - After a thorough investigation of corruption in state politics, the Center for Public Integrity has made up report cards for each state—and the results are depressing. Not one state managed anything in the A-range, while eight—Michigan, the Dakotas, South Carolina, Maine, Virginia, Georgia, and Wyoming—scored Fs. Coming in on top with a B-plus: New Jersey. Perhaps that's surprising, given the state's political reputation. But that reputation has prompted some tough anti-corruption laws; ditto for other possibly counterintuitive states in the top 15, like Illinois and Louisiana. More»