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Subscribe to RSSFlorida moved up its primary date to Jan. 31 today, breaking national party rules and setting off a domino effect that likely means the beginning of the GOP presidential nominating process will be in early January 2012.
In a 7-2 vote, the Florida Primary Selection Committee decided to move up its date.
The first domino fell in New Hampshire, traditionally the first primary in the nation, preceded only by Iowa’s caucuses.
New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, who has unilateral control to set the Granite State’s date, moved up the presidential primary filing period to begin Oct. 17 and ending October 28, signaling the New Hampshire primary contest will be moved up in the calendar.
"Unfortunately, we'll be unable to have the upcoming presidential primary on the second Tuesday in March and will continue to honor the tradition of our first-in-the-nation presidential primary," Gardner told NBC News. "Because we cannot rule out of the possibility of conducting the primary before the end of this year, we are, regrettably, as we were four years ago, forced to move the presidential candidates filing period to October.”
Gardner watched the full Florida committee debate via a website in his Statehouse chambers and was visibly surprised as the members in the Sunshine State discussed going so early as Jan. 3rd.
"I don't know how I can be surprised by anything anymore,” said Gardner, who’s been setting the primary date since 1976, “so we will wait and see on the rest. We will continue to be first. … It is my intention to move the primary up so we preserve the tradition."
Gardner is watching South Carolina and Nevada closely and will set the date after they have announced.
South Carolina will also not be announcing its primary date today and probably won’t until next week, according to Matt Moore, the South Carolina GOP’s executive director.
South Carolina, along with the other carve-out states, will wait until all other non-carve-out states’ primaries are set before announcing its own, Moore said. And if New Hampshire is waiting until later in the fall, the same is true for the Palmetto State.
"We want to make sure that the four early states are playing from the same sheet of music," Moore told NBC.
Moore also said that party is not ruling out announcing a Tuesday election instead of a Saturday election. Connelly said yesterday that he was leaning toward holding the election the Saturday before Florida’s election (four days before), but Moore said holding the election on a Tuesday would be cheaper (no overtime costs for keeping schools, etc., open) and that having adequate time between their primary and Florida’s is a concern.
Iowa’s Republican Party Chairman says the Hawkeye State will wait on Gardner and New Hampshire.
"Only Secretary of State Gardner has that authority in New Hampshire,” Matt Strawn tells NBC News in an email. “Once he sets the date for New Hampshire's primary, Iowa will then act accordingly and set the date of our First in the Nation Caucuses."
*** UPDATE *** A South Carolina source says the four early states are working together, and they will likely announce their dates jointly. Gardner is in close contact with his counterpart in Nevada's, talking almost daily lately.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Here's the statement from the Florida GOP:
"Today, under the authority provided them by Florida statute and their selection by Governor Scott, Speaker Cannon and Senate President Haridopolos, the nine members of the Presidential Preference Primary Date Selection Committee chose January 31st as our state’s date. As I have said before, the Republican Party of Florida was always prepared to work with the date selected by those with the legal authority to do so. We appreciate that the Committee engaged in a thorough process. That process included discussion of a range of dates from January 3rd to March 6th or later, so this compromise of January 31st properly reflects the importance Florida will play on the national stage. We look forward to having a great primary, and then hosting a world-class convention for our party’s nominee. Florida will be the most important state in our efforts to defeat Barack Obama."
*** UPDATE 3 *** South Carolina GOP Chairman Chad Connelly condemned Florida's move:
"Today's decision by Florida is hugely disappointing and could have been avoided. Rogue states have once again dictated the Presidential nominating calendar. I call on my fellow RNC members and all Republicans to strongly condemn Florida's decision to hold their primary on January 31. States who have worked so hard to maintain the nominating calendar should not be penalized and the offenders, including Florida, should lose their entire allocations of delegates at the National Convention. Rules matter and the four traditional early states (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina) did everything they could to avoid this unfortunate situation. South Carolina's primary date will not be announced today."
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Is it just me or is the shifting primary calendar reminiscent of the shifts in NCAA conference realignment? Granted the comparison is very generalized, but the desire to bring in additional dollars into the state/region and to become more important on the national stage are both there.
At least the NCAA conference realignment has some meaning. The republican primaries do not. What a bunch of buffoons this group is.
To bad we can not move the Nov 12 election to Jan 12.................so sad
Its good Florida moved up their voting date. This way when they mess up their voting system (again) and needs months to get the final results, they will now have plenty of time to correct it.
Is this really that big of a deal?
With the Florida Republican GOP involved - aren't the votes already counted?
is al franken from fla?
Will the GOP be bringing in the Ohio Secretary of State to do the "recounts"?
I was looking for something for dinner tonight and came across this moment of culinary humor. Apparently our Chinese friends do have a sense of humor. I have to wonder if Rev. Al will protest to the Chinese embassy.
Obama Fried Chicken? In China, it's on the menu
http://behindthewall.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/30/8055460-obama-fried-chicken-in-china-its-on-the-menu
The biggest irony in all of this is that Republicans clearly want different candidates, but will discourage same w/ these hurry up shenanigans. In the article NH officials lament that they'll have to move the sign up for ballot name to October! A Christie or Ryan or thers might just say "screw it" I'm out of time and I don't want to have to decide spur of the moment. Just seems the GOP is fighting against itself, shooting itself in the foot, have no idea where they're going but making geat time, ...
Marv........ i dont think that THEY know where they're going! They actually think they have majority support in the country! Watch for the massive irregularities in the general election! They have MASSIVE amounts of money to spend.
they need the extra time to be able to fill out their ballots correctly.
As a resident of Florida, I am not surprised by this move. Florida politicians seem to have an inflated sense of importance, so breaking the rules and injecting the state into the early voting fits.
The only good thing about this whole situation is that perhaps we will get to know the nominee early, making it easier to focus on whatever looney the Republicans select.
Let the games begin!
Freakin' morons
lets just do what the liberals are now proposing: not have elections
(orslack, dupont of NC...more to follow of course)
They are doing that because it is the only way President Barrack Hussein Obama can stay in office past January 20th 2013
poor libs, they still cant understand why c. crist lost because of the bam bam kiss
The Republican Party is a god damn circus!
AND the Democrats "send in the clowns" -- isn't it rich? J. Collins
Good points, GJW -
It's obvious what they're doing to thwart voters that may not agree with their agenda so they can get a Republican in the White House. It's not only obvious - they've stated it publicly - that they want to defeat Obama by any means they deem necessary to achieve that end, no matter how unethical.
But there's a more onerous goal than to simply assure a Republican in the White House. You see, with a Republican president and Republicans in control of Congress, they can stack the Supreme Court with more fringe ideologues like Scalia and Thomas, so we're facing the possibility of more Citizen's United style decisions that will tip the balance even more toward the Republicans' goal of achieving a one party facist state by eliminating any political opposition (i.e. Democrats and Progressives) going forward. The SCOTUS is already controlled by Repuclicans, but they want to increase their grip on that body.
Time is running out! People who care about this country need to get out and vote, especially in the 2012 election. It's a safe assumption that there will be a 100% turnout by Tea Party zealots, who hate Obama, but this element can be overcome with a respectable turnout by ordinary, mainstream voters. But everything depends on mainstream voters executing their civic duty and GET OUT AND VOTE. They must vote in sufficient numbers to offset the Tea Party votes which represent a loud and hyperactive minority of Americans - Americans who hate Obama more than they love their country.
Tea Party = Nazis + KKK
I can see why you are confused. Hitler did not drink tea. The old Klanners of way back when were Democrats. Read your history.
Facts never get the way of liberal misinformation, exaggerations and misrepresentation of what anyone who disagrees with them has said.
$#@! tradition. This is ridiculous having your primary 8 months ahead of the elections. That is a hell of a lot of time for people to become uninterested. But for all I know that could be the goal. The only thing I can think of is it gives less time for republican on republican attacks to make each look bad before duke it out with Obama. Another theory is it will give however a financial advantage as well as there will be more time to spend money on one candidate rather than 8. Moral of the rant who cares when Florida has their primary. Put your egos aside New Hampshire and just hold primaries when historically they have been held. Other wise eventually you will be holding your primaries 2 years before election. Or you can just get rid of all contenders New Hampshire and hold your primaries right after the presidential election. I mean who doesn't want 4 years of campaigning (Obama complaints here).
iowa is the new mr. irrelevant that's the last guy chosen in the nfl draft
traditionally iowa is the kiss of death for whatever republican wins its primary.
i'm the g.o.p. iowa is done, unless it's to determine who can't win in a general election....there politics aren't even close to a cross section of america....you have your canidates twisting themselves into knots trying to please the relig right and the 1930 mentatiliy then boom florida and people who actually lived in the 1930's ...florida so close to iowa will make them change on a dime because what they sell in iowa won't play in florida...wow i'm not a repb but that not a good formula....
Seems every day the GOP is screwing something up ( like NO NO NO and our way or no way) and now it is within their own party fighting which state is first for a primary. After Bonehead Bohner said no to the grand plan, my wife and I agreed not to vote a split ticket(as before) and go straight Demo, this fighting about a primary just makes more real for us.
here's an idea for primary's 5 regions . northeast south midwest...mountain states and west coast. one in end of jan end of feb ..march april and may....everything done by memorial day...then do the conventions in summer...boom after labor day the campaign starts full bore,,,,you could rotate who's first every four year northeast starting say.. this allows the canidate to trailor a message for that region which is like in most respects.....and could deepen the debate....five super regional primarys,,,then everyone could get the love....save money time and energy for everyone....just a thought because some states don't really get the love or attention...i'm from ohio we get attention...the tv internet age doesn't really need someone to shake their hand what we need is someone to address are needs...if a guys talking midwest stuff and he's in wisconsin i'm interested if he's in georgia i can take that month off...what do you guys think the system isnt effective? or do you think the system is best able to determine a canidate?
we could recycle the yard signs just move them to the next region...that would show how frugal a prez wanntabe is....
Gee, more mindless drivel from the looney left. The real problem illustrated by this story is that the Primarys are too damn early. After a party's candidate is selected by the primary process, there's a several month wait with dead air to fill before the Party Conventions, which are now pretty much meaningless unlike the old days when a party's candidate was actually chosen at the convention. We need to follow the British model for filling the Prime Minister's position. The campaign doesn't start until shortly before the election and gets everyones' attention. Maybe we need a constitutional amendment that prohibits any primary before April 1st. And, yes, there is a reason I chose April Fool's Day to start the primary cycle.
Hey Cynic,
You start with some stupid line, then go on making the point of the "looney left." What's with you? You have such in-braid hatred that you don't realize when you're agreeing with those you supposedly hate.....Get your head out of that Black-Hole above your thighs.
And we won't talk about you wanting more Government regualtion...Remember, smaller Govt is the right thing to do....C'mon, you're really a lefty-pinko-commie, right?!?
Who cares?
Everyone knows the ultra-rich folks have bought Republican politicians, so they're going to get the candidate they want. I don't see how it makes any difference which state goes first. Since the Supreme Court decided that big money can do whatever they want, the order of the primaries is of no significance.
If it's all about being first, then the straw poll in Iowa is actually first, and it's already done. The imbecile Michelle Bachmann won, as I remember. And that means what?
It means she can now go on babbling about anything she hears, substantiated or not, if it will help her get somewhere. Oh wait. She's been doing that all along.....Never mind.
ATTENTION ALL RON PAUL SYMPATHIZERS: Dr. Paul is trying to raise $1.5 million before midnight. He is already at $1.14 million. Please join your fellow Americans if you are able and donate at ronpaul2012.com. For Liberty, the Constitution, and the American Way.
I admit to not being the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I don't really understand the need to be the first primary state. What difference does it make whether your state is 1st or 41st?
The repubs never tire of entertainment. Now if they just had any lucid ideas.....that would be special.
So much hot air and so little truth.
The Republican Party can discipline the states. O.K.
"States' Rights -- the states can still pick their dates and choose to suffer the consequences." O.K.
FL has to weigh the cost of possibly being stripped of 1/2 its delegates. Is it worth it? FL has to decide. Yes, you get an early voice to propel one candidate with the "aura of electability". But then, when the convention comes around, is it going to be sour grapes when only 1/2 the delegate total counts?
This is all well and good, but where is Palin's tour bus?