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Politics
Dean says early primary will cost state party
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published April 26, 2007
WASHINGTON - Not only will Florida be punished if it moves up its presidential primary before Feb. 5, but any Democratic candidate who steps foot in the state will be too, Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said Wednesday. Dean acknowledged that Florida is the state most likely to jump ahead of states like California and New York, which are moving up to the Feb. 5 primary, but it, and any other state, will do so at a cost. "If they do, our rules are so strict that not only will those states not collect any delegates, but anybody that campaigns in that state will be ineligible for any delegates from that state," Dean told members of the Mortgage Bankers Association. "We will reapportion their delegates to all the other candidates if they show up in a state that jumps ahead of Feb. 5." The Republican National Committee has threatened to take similar actions if the primary is moved before Feb. 5. Dean said he supported a Jan. 19 caucus in Nevada and a Jan. 29 primary in South Carolina because it adds more diversity to the process. "What that did was give geographic and ethnic diversity," Dean said, saying Iowa and New Hampshire were too white. "We had two states, one of which is 96 percent white and the other which is 98 percent white, making the decision." Florida lawmakers make a similar argument. The state has a mix of cultures, ethnicity and race; urban and rural areas; and Southerners and transplants from the North that make it look much like the country as a whole. That, and its size, should give it more say in deciding the presidency, lawmakers say. Florida's House and Senate have not settled on specifics, but it appears they could agree on a Jan. 29 primary. The state party leaders also have favored the idea, saying losing delegates is less important than having more influence in the nation's leadership.
[Last modified April 26, 2007, 01:49:06]
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by Alex
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05/04/07 10:06 AM
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I've always thought it is absolutely ridiculous that Iowa and New Hampshire can essentially decide an entire election. The federal gov't needs to step in and set ONE date for the primaries. What's going on now is pure insanity.
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by Sam
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04/27/07 12:46 PM
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JT obviously doesn't like the message of "geographic and ethnic diversity" so he slams the messenger. I guess the staus quo is just fine for some people when it comes to letting "less desirable people" in on the election process.
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by JT
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04/27/07 12:13 PM
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Hey Pandering Howard I thought we were working on a color blind non discriminating society here. Then you go beserk (expert at that) wanting to identify everyone based on some label, including being 'too white'. What a hypocrite. National Primary Day
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by Sam
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04/27/07 12:13 PM
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Why does everybody have to be first in line. It is like little kids saying...me, me, me, look at me!!!
I believe having the primary later in Feb. is just fine...say Feb. 19th, I mean what is wrong with that date, for heavens sake!
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by peggy
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04/26/07 03:36 PM
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Jeb Bush's Florida Crist and California Arnold have something in common: they both have moved up their primaries. Seems interesting that Mass newspapers- where Romney has left fighting because of LNG tankers for Distrigas say he will benefit nicely
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