Florida may face showdown over early 2012 primary
By William March
From The Tampa Tribune
TAMPA – Florida may be headed for a showdown with the Republican Party and the early primary states over the date of its 2012 presidential primary.
Some early-state Republicans are even calling for the party’s national convention in Tampa to be moved to another state if Florida sticks to its schedule-busting, January primary.
The January date jumps ahead of Iowa, New Hampshire and other early states, breaking party rules.
“I would not be averse to pulling the convention if Florida doesn’t follow the parameter of the rules,” said Karen Floyd, party chairman in South Carolina, one of four states approved by both parties to hold early primaries.
“If you can’t play by the rules you can’t receive the benefit of those rules,” she said.
While that may not be likely, there are other sanction possibilities as well.
“There’s nothing off the table,” Floyd said.
But powerful Florida Republicans, led by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, say Florida should stick with its early date.
He argues that Florida will be decisive in the general election, so it should hold a premier place in choosing the GOP nominee.
“No Republican can win the presidency of the United States without winning the state of Florida, so it behooves us to make sure that our nominee is someone that is palatable in Florida,” Rubio said in a statement from his office Friday.
He spoke defiantly about the prospect of sanctions.
“If the RNC thinks the way to win Florida is to sanction the most important swing state in the country, then good luck to them,” he said.
Florida Republicans aren’t unanimous, however.
Gov. Rick Scott has said he wants the primary as early as possible without costing the state any delegates to the convention. Party rules say a January primary means cutting the delegation in half.
State party Chairman Dave Bitner and other party leaders also favor moving the date.
But the state Legislature decides the date, and Senate President Mike Haridopolos and House Speaker Dean Cannon both lean toward Rubio’s view.
