PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Dec. 7, 2007) – Twenty candidates are elibile to compete for their party’s nomination in Rhode Island’s March 4 presidential primary, Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis announced today. By law, candidates had until Fri., Dec. 7, to file an official Statement of Intent with Mollis in order to appear on the primary ballot.
“This shows that presidential campaigns are not discounting Rhode Island. Apparently the candidates believe the nominations will still be in play. Rhode Island is important enough so they are not taking any chances,” said Mollis.
Ten Democrats and 10 Republicans plan to run in the March 4 primary. The Republicans are Hugh Cort, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Alan Keyes, John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo and Fred Thompson. The Democrats are Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Ray Stebbins and Rosemary Turner.
The next deadline in the state’s presidential primary calendar is Dec. 26, when candidates must file nomination papers with the signatures of at least 1,000 eligible Rhode Island voters.
That is followed by Feb. 1, when Mollis will hold a public lottery at the State House to determine the order in which candidates will appear on the Democratic and Republican presidential primary ballots.
Every key date leading up to Rhode Island’s presidential primary is included in a 35-page guidebook Mollis created to assist campaigns, candidates and voters with understanding Rhode Island election law. The guide is posted on the Secretary of State's website.
Secretary of State Mollis is committed to making it easier for Rhode Islanders to vote, helping businesses grow and making government more open and accessible. For more information about the programs and services the Secretary of State offers Rhode Islanders, visit www.sec.state.ri.us.
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