Pity the people who might run for some office other than president in next year's elections.
Presidential politics naturally overshadow pretty much anything else, especially when the office's current occupant is term-limited.
That reality has led this year to an over-abundance of Republican and Democratic candidates for president and promises political overload for the next 14 months.
How encouraging can that be to candidates for any other office?
The situation is even worse in Arkansas now because lawmakers shifted the state's primaries from May 24 to March 1.
The move was made to bring Arkansas' primary in line with several other Southern states and theoretically increase the impact of that collective primary vote on selection of the eventual presidential nominee. But lawmakers didn't just change the timing of the vote for president. All of the state's primary elections will be held on March 1.
That changes the timetable for decision-making by all sorts of would-be candidates in Arkansas, whether they are running for Congress or for the Legislature.
They'll have to decide soon whether they'll run and mount their campaigns in a more difficult environment.
Moving the primary election date necessitated a change in the filing period, a fact that may have been missed by a lot of people. Before the change, candidates could wait until February to make the decision to file. Instead, they'll have to get in later this year, not next. The filing period will open Nov. 2 and close on Nov. 9.
Imagine mounting a campaign just as autumn settles in, with Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays soon to follow.
The election itself will still be months away and most people simply have other things on their minds.
Besides, the presidential race is sure to have heated up by then, sapping whatever political interest is out there. Much of the attention and most of the money will continue to go to those who seek the presidency, not other offices.
It is a painful reality. The farther down the ballot a race is, the less likely anyone is paying attention to candidates or cracking open a wallet to donate to a campaign for lesser office.
The result is a distorted environment in which to launch a candidacy. Consequently, some potential candidates may just delay running for anything, figuring the challenges are too great.
That could be particularly true of Democratic candidates, who may struggle against a Republican tide in Arkansas offices.
Republicans hold all four congressional seats and the one U.S. Senate seat that will be contested this year as well as majorities in both the state Senate and House of Representatives.
Leaders in both parties are clearly busy trying to recruit candidates.
One report quoted Republican leaders as saying they're finding plenty of people who want to run while Democratic leaders acknowledged some reluctance among potential candidates.
There has been evidence of Democratic reluctance with announcements of sitting legislators not seeking re-election and of other potential Democratic candidates just deciding this isn't the right time to run.
Some critics of the shift in timing for the primaries contend it was actually intended to protect incumbents by discouraging opposition.
With more Republicans holding office, that party's chance to hold its majorities in both legislative chambers would presumably improve.
The question then is whether new people, from either party, will step up and run for any of these offices.
Or is this retuned election calendar and the looming presidential election too much of a disincentive?
The answer will come with the November filing period.
Commentary on 09/30/2015