Minnesota primary moved to August

Minnesota is officially moving its primary ahead one month, from Sept. 14 to Aug. 10.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) was set to sign the change into law on Wednsday morning. The change was made in order to give overseas absentee voters enough time to get their ballots in.

The key race in the state this year is the open governor's contest, with vast fields of candidates seeking their party's nomination on either side.

As for congressional races, the move could help Democrats recover earlier from a tough primary to face Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). In that race, state Sen. Tarryl Clark and former University of Minnesota Regent Maureen Reed are both raising big money.