Georgia's primary date yet to be set

By Kristina Torres and Bo Emerson

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Republican presidential candidates are getting plenty of air time, but another high-stakes political battle is taking shape just out of camera range and Georgia is in the thick of it.

Secretary of State Brian Kemp will decide by Dec. 1 when to hold the state’s 2012 presidential primary. A lot is riding on his choice: Picking an advantageous spot on the national primary calendar can help a state gain national attention, revenue and political clout.

Pick wrong and, as Georgia learned in 2008, you get “largely overlooked,” said University of Georgia political scientist Charles Bullock.

“Usually it’s best to go early,” Bullock said. “You actually have a larger field of candidates. It would be a showcase.”

On the other hand, if the presidential primary race develops into a prolonged duel, it can be pretty sweet to be among the states holding primaries in the final stretch.

In Tuesday’s newspaper, the AJC takes a deep look at the scheduling of Georgia's 2012 presidential primary. It’s a story you’ll get only by picking up a copy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution or logging on to the paper’s iPad app. Subscribe today.