The House voted unanimously Wednesday to move the presidential primary back a month from the first Tuesday in February to the last Tuesday in April. The bill now goes to the Senate.
The legislation is meant to conform with national guideliness issued by the national Republican and Democratic parties to avoid front-loading the primary calendar in January and February, as was the case in 2008. States that ignore the guidelines faced losing delegate seats at the national conventions.
Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina are the only states permitted by the parties to hold a primary prior to the first Tuesday in March.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said Connecticut may be joining New York, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania in a regional presidential primary.
Next year, with the Democratic already effectively claimed by President Obama, the primary date is mainly of concern to the Republican Party.