If your appetite was whetted by last week’s Republican presidential forums – let’s face it, they are not debates in any sense of the word – you might be interested state officials will meet this week to determine when Washington’s primary will be.

(For those who haven't had enough of the GOP debate rehash, we have links to fact-checking of the candidates here.)

Under state law, it’s in late May. But that’s usually too late to have any influence on the selection process, which gets earlier and more heavily loaded to those early months with each presidential election cycle.

Secretary of State Kim Wyman asked the Legislature to move it to March 8, which would be one week after Super Tuesday. It didn’t, but legislators did come up with the money to have a primary. Under state law, the nine-member Presidential Primary Committee can move the date if Wyman, who is a member, can convince at least five other members.

Problem is, half the remaining members are Democrats, and the state Democratic Party prefers to select its presidential delegates through the caucus process. State Republicans will split their selections between caucuses and a primary. Having a primary in May would definitely be a waste of money, so the question becomes, is it better to move it up to March, or scrap it entirely?

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