NEWS FROM THE FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY
For Immediate Release: February 02, 2011 Contact: Eric Jotkoff, (850) 222-3411
Chairman Smith Renews Call For Bi-partisan Cooperation On Changing Primary Date As RNC Chairman Pressures Florida Republicans On Issue
“As Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus reminds Florida’s Republican leaders of the penalties they would face unless they change the Presidential Primary date, today I am renewing my call for bi-partisan cooperation on this issue,” Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith said. “While changing the date of the primary would require action by the Republican Legislature and Governor, I am confident that we can make this happen given the Governor’s expressed desire to hold the primary as early as possible without losing delegates.”
ICYMI:
St Petersburg Times: RNC chairman urges Legislature: no early primaries, please
TAMPA – The new chairman of the Republican National Committee Wednesday urged Florida lawmakers not to hold an early presidential primary in 2012 in violation of RNC rules.
Here’s what new RNC chairman Reince Priebus said on the subject after a meeting in Tampa with members of the local Host Committee for the 2012 GOP convention:
“We’re doing everything we can at the Republican National Committee to fulfill our promise to try and get presidential primaries on track with some semblance of order. One of the things that we did is that we’ve put together a primary schedule for the presidentials which protects four early state primaries in February” – Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada – “but then moves all the other states out of the February window to a date on or after March 1.
“In the March 1 window,” he added, “that is to be a proportional-type delegate award system. And then in the April window, that is a potentially winner-take-all, if the state chooses so, delegate award system.
“As far as Florida is concerned, I would do encourage the Legislature to do everything they can to abide by the rules passed by both the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee together to make sure we can bring some order into the presidential election process,” Priebus said.
The scheduling of Florida’s primary is something Priebus, elected two weeks ago to replace former RNC chairman Michael Steele, said he has already discussed with Florida Gov. Rick Scott. Asked whether Scott told Priebus that he wanted a primary as early as possible without losing delegates, the RNC chairman declined further comment.
“I just don’t feel at liberty to talk about a private conversation with the governor,” he said.
Posted by Richard Danielson at 12:11:31 pm on February 02, 2011 in
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