House Speaker Calls Primary Bumps "Ridiculous"

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(UNDATED) - 24 states go to the polls Tuesday to vote for president, choosing about half the delegates for the entire campaign. Indiana won’t be among them.

In only three states will both parties hold their primaries or caucuses later than Indiana's May 6 vote. Super Tuesday won't give a candidate a majority of delegates, but the huge number of delegates at stake increases the odds that someone will gain enough momentum to effectively end the race before long.

Indiana hasn't voted in a still-contested presidential primary since 1984, when Gary Hart beat Walter Mondale to stall the former vice president's push for the Democratic nomination. Since then, even more states have moved their primaries earlier to make sure they have a say.

House Speaker Patrick Bauer says it's not that Indiana's too late, it's that everyone else is too early. He calls the rush to push the campaign earlier and earlier "ridiculous," and says the national parties need to restore order by setting up four or five regional primaries.

Other legislators say it's time Indiana stopped letting other states decide the presidential nominees without Indiana's input. House Minority Leader Brian Bosma says it's not practical to move the primary for other offices, but says Indiana should either hold caucuses or a separate primary just for president.

Governor Daniels has floated the possibility of a tax on political advertising to pay the costs of a separate presidential vote.

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