Florida’s presidential primary date looks set for Jan. 31, could trigger other states to move
by John Kennedy | September 28th, 2011Florida’s presidential primary will be held Jan. 31, House Speaker Dean Cannon told CNN on Wednesday — a move that will likely force other states to move up their own primary contests.
A state commission is scheduled to meet Friday to formally set the date. But just as it was in 2008, Florida is eager to jump toward the front of the line — even at the risk of being penalized by the Republican National Committee.
The RNC has declared four states — Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada – early caucus and primary states. Florida’s leapfrog four years ago prompted the RNC to briefly strip the state of half its delegates to the Republican convention, although the punishment was lifted before party faithful gathered in Minneapolis to nominate John McCain.
Next summer’s convention is planned for Tampa. And the RNC is widely seen as not wanting a repeat of the jockeying between the states. But Florida’s move could spark that.
Cannon told CNN on Wednesday, “I expect that (the commission) will pick January 31 as Florida’s primary date.”
For Democrats, the primary date is mostly symbolic. President Obama has no serious primary challengers for his renomination.
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September 28th, 2011 at 10:37 am
I cannot believe time and energy is being spent on this. Please tell me the Florida GOP has something more to offer with influencing the 2012 election. Our children and our country’s future are at stake. Please tell me the Florida GOP hasn’t pinned their hopes of electing a Republican to moving up the primary date! It worked so well last time!
September 28th, 2011 at 10:39 am
Scary thought: If FL’s prez primary is moved to Jan. 31, ballots will go out as early as Dec. 17!!!
http://t.co/nle3Qfy5
September 28th, 2011 at 10:44 am
The GOP care about themselves and big business and that’s the way it is. They could give a rats tail about the general population. They would rather bring this county down to it’s knees instead of helping make it prosper. I am sure our founding fathers will veto them to H>E>L>L when they want passage to heaven.
September 28th, 2011 at 10:45 am
“What is the point?” is completely clueless. If you haven’t paid attention to history, the early voting states like Iowa, new Hampshire have a HUGE influence on the candidates for President. The Florida legislature obviously would like Florida to have such influence as well. BECAUSE THAT’S THEIR JOB to GET FLORIDA REPRESENTATION EACH AND EVERY WAY.
September 28th, 2011 at 10:53 am
obama “has no serious primary challengers for his renomination” yet!!
September 28th, 2011 at 10:54 am
What a waste of time, nobody has a chance against Obama, whites are the minority now against the blacks and latinos who will all vote for him. The Republicans can’t even find a candidate!~
September 28th, 2011 at 11:22 am
They probably just want extra time to count the votes.
September 28th, 2011 at 11:30 am
Not clueless, just realistic. How does moving the Florida Primary up influence when it distracts and promotes dissention not only within the GOP but to those outside the GOP. This is not REAL leadership, just politics. I don’t buy it. People are tired of the political games. We are in search of REAL Leaders with REAL solutions. You say I am clueless because I see moving the Florida GOP Primary to an earlier date as a lousy solution to increase Florida’s influence in the 2012 election? If that is the case to quote our current Commander in Chief, “I will wear that badge with Honor”….
Time to figure out a better way than moving the primary, like electing some REAL leaders, by the way we have and will. Do you need me to recap them for you, Rubio, Scott, West, Rooney, and soon Hasner! Keeping your eye on the prize is more important than an early primary date!
P.S. I am an average Joe, not a GOP political hack or a Democratic Mole, better start paying attention to people like me, we are a majority of the people that will be influencing the next election, we are tired of the same old crap getting tossed around.
September 28th, 2011 at 11:33 am
Why? January primary forces candidates to begin campaigning even earlier thus extending the long drawn out process even more. Why is this so important to the party establishment? Voters, other than activists, generally don’t get interested in elections until much closer to the election day –will most adjust to the much earlier time frame? I don’t think so. Is that an advantage to the establishment choice?
September 28th, 2011 at 11:37 am
Do not be surprise when the time comes that President Obama plays the race card and there are race riots in major cities next year. If a President cannot fix the countries problems in 4 years, time to go. If a member of congress cannot fix the problems in his/her term, time to go. If a Senator cannot fix the problems in their state, time to go. Many Americans lost their jobs, lost their money, lost their homes over the years. If the politicians want to ruin this country, and sell out to their interests, time to remove them from office. We as a nation are on the steps of Civil War. More and more people are becoming poorer, homeless and desperate. We are over taxed, and under paid. The politicians make sure the police are on their side by giving them outrageous salaries and pensions. President Obama wants to ban people from owning guns. Govt’s in China, Russia & Nazi Germany also did this to their citizens. If this happens to us, we will never be able to protect ourselves.
September 28th, 2011 at 11:53 am
*** RICK PERRY FOR FLORIDA 2012! *** The only bipartisan president Democrat-turned-Republican who is able to get both parties to work together to fix what is wrong with our country – including getting rid of the worst thing to ever happen to our country: Obama. RickPerry4FL on Twitter.
September 28th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Marco Rubio for 2012!
He is the the best hope for our Country!
Change you can believe in!
September 28th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Let’s just suspend elections like Bimbo Democrat Gov. Purdue of NC says:
http://dailycaller.com/2011/09/28/new-audio-nc-governor-struck-serious-tone-on-suspending-congressional-elections/
September 28th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
Does Florida have to do everything wrong? seems like it. Oh well.
September 28th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
They can pry my gun from the grip of my cold dead fingers!
September 28th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
@When I am out of bullets You forgot to use quotation marks, or were you intentionally plagiarizing Charlton Heston?
September 28th, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Hey civil war. Sounds like your hoping and praying for one. I guess you might find it an interesting distraction from your boring, miserable life. That’s right, Obama wants to take away our guns. He says that all the time. Watch out for the black helicopters. and don’t look under the bed, it’s real scary. and Heston’s fingers are pretty cold so you can start prying now.
September 28th, 2011 at 7:17 pm
This is a great opportunity!
Florida has become a model of successful economic policy. We Floridians understand the importance of tax relief for job creators, smaller government, and free markets.
And with an earlier primary, we can showcase these values to Americans in other States!
Let’s be proud that We Floridians can take a leadership role in spreading sound economic policy to the entire nation! =)
September 28th, 2011 at 7:35 pm
Good satirical post, Tea Lady. You’ve pointed out the flaws in the strategy of the Right since Reagan. Florida, with its high unemployment rate, it’s huge number of foreclosures, and its microcosm, in Palm Beach County, of the extremely rich on the eastern edge, to the third world conditions in Belle Glade. We are, indeed, the model for the rest of the country to eliminate the middle class and create a new feudal system for the rich. We’re paying lower taxes since the 50s, but we want to pay even less, and give the working class an even smaller piece of the pie.
September 28th, 2011 at 7:44 pm
@Maxwell
I’m confused. My post was not “satirical”.
September 28th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
Where were all the protesters when a white guy was executed?
September 28th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
@Tea Lady, You’re right. You are confused.
@nemo, Wrong thread, dude.
September 30th, 2011 at 2:46 pm
Florida will aid in the corruption of election results if it makes this move. Poll workers will be rushed through training, and watchdogs hoping to prevent a repeat of the mass corruption of 2008 will not have time to deliver full assets to Florida. This will cause a few other states to mimick the action and the effect will be national.