Washington State Moves Primary Up To March

Olympia’s Fox affiliate reports:

Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee, who is among a growing group of Democratic presidential contenders, signed a measure Thursday moving the state’s presidential primary from May to March. Next year’s primary will now be held on the second Tuesday in March, something Inslee said will strengthen the state’s role in the national democratic process.

The measure cleared the Legislature days after Inslee announced his presidential campaign. He is set for another multi-state trip, starting with a climate rally Friday with students in New York City and three events Saturday in New Hampshire.

Washington has a presidential primary and a caucus system. In 2016, Republicans used the May primary to allocate delegates while Democrats ignored the primary results and opted for the caucus system to divvy up delegates.