Politics

State Democrats to plead for primary

They will ask Howard Dean to drop penalties for the early vote, which breaks party rules.

By STEVE BOUSQUET
Published June 21, 2007

TALLAHASSEE -- Leading Florida Democrats will appeal to national party chairman Howard Dean today to respect the state's new January primary date and drop threats of sanctions because it skirts party rules.

Dean, who has been critical of Florida's decision to leapfrog over most other states by moving its primary two months earlier on the calendar, agreed to the meeting but has given no indication that he will change his mind.

Penalties for keeping the primary on Jan. 29 include a loss of half of the party's delegates at the convention and the loss of all state delegates for any candidate who campaigns in Florida.

The closed-door session will take place at DNC headquarters in Washington with Sen. Bill Nelson and Democratic members of the state's congressional delegation.

The meeting, postponed from a week ago, comes amid rising anger among Democratic activists across the state who say the national party would "disenfranchise" the voices of Florida's 4-million-plus Democratic voters by imposing sanctions.

"The bottom line is, Florida is the largest swing state in the country and Democrats must compete in Florida from a position of strength," said U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton.

The partisan skirmish over the significance of the presidential primary has intensified because the Legislature has placed on the same ballot a proposal to increase Florida's homestead tax exemption.

Presidential preference primaries in Florida since the 1980s have produced dismal voter turnouts, but the tax question is expected to generate a much larger level of participation.

In addition, cities that usually hold nonpartisan elections in March can now shift them to Jan. 29 to save money.

"I think it's atrocious, what they're doing to us," said Diane Glasser, a Democratic national committeewoman from Broward County. "They can't disenfranchise our people."

Glasser voted for the rule changes in August that could deny Florida half of its party delegates at the 2008 convention in Denver.

Dean's spokesman, Luis Miranda, declined to comment Wednesday. He referred to a DNC statement issued last week that suggested Florida's plea will go unheeded.

"The DNC will enforce the rules as passed by its 447 members in August 2006," the statement said.

Steve Bousquet can be reached at bousquet@sptimes.com or (850) 224-7263.

[Last modified June 21, 2007, 00:27:49]