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Politics

RNC soft-pedals removal of state GOP's delegates

By WES ALLISON, Times Staff Writer
Published October 23, 2007

While Republican leaders stripped Florida of half it's delegates, they did so quietly to avoid intraparty fighting as is happening with Democrats. "At the end of the day, this is a disagreement among friends," said Jim Greer, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, center.
	[Martha Rial | Times]

WASHINGTON - The national Republican Party took steps Monday to strip half of Florida's delegates to the national convention next summer for holding an early primary.

But in contrast to Democrats, who are publicly squabbling over the penalties leveled against Florida Democrats for the same Jan. 29 primary, Republican leaders took a low-key approach Monday, saying they didn't want intraparty contretemps to eclipse the main show.

"At the end of the day, this is a disagreement among friends," said Jim Greer, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. "We recognize that we are all working towards a common goal, re-electing a Republican president in 2008."

The RNC rules forbid any state from holding a primary before Feb. 5.

That put Florida and four other states - South Carolina, Wyoming, Michigan and New Hampshire - outside the window. South Carolina and New Hampshire are among the states the Democrats had granted permission to hold early primaries.

All the offending states must forfeit half of their GOP delegates.

That brings Florida's total to 57 - the same as Indiana, and fewer than Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia.

"We spent a lot of time over the past year educating our states as to what the rules were. This will come as no surprise," RNC chairman Mike Duncan said. "All these states were on notice."

Florida's Republican-led state Legislature decided this year to move Florida's primary to Jan. 29, in hopes the Sunshine State would be relevant in choosing the presidential nominees.

For Democrats, who endorsed it, the change has backfired.

The Democratic National Committee stripped all of Florida's 210 delegates to that party's national convention in Denver next year.

What's more, the four states the DNC anointed to hold their primaries first - Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina - persuaded Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, former Sen. John Edwards and other candidates to pledge not to campaign in Florida until after the primary.

Florida's senior Democrats, Sen. Bill Nelson of Orlando and Rep. Alcee Hastings of Miramar, have sued the DNC in hopes of regaining Florida's delegates. Experts say their odds aren't good.

Greer and Duncan say they don't expect any lawsuits over the loss of GOP delegates. The Republican candidates also spent the weekend wooing the faithful at the state party convention in Orlando, and they are expected to visit frequently.

The decision announced Monday is a recommendation from the party's executive committee, but the full RNC is expected to adopt it this winter.

Regardless of the delegate count, the Jan. 29 primary is still a major test for the candidates, particularly the Republicans. With no clear favorite, whoever wins Florida will gain key momentum going into Feb. 5, when about two dozen states vote.

"We're a linchpin state, and at the end of the day the recommendation that the RNC made today is not going to change that," state GOP spokeswoman Erin VanSickle said.

Officials in both parties say they expect the full complement of Florida delegates to be seated at their respective conventions: The presidential nominee holds enormous sway over the conventions, and they don't expect them to snub Florida.

Political editor Adam Smith contributed to this report. Wes Allison can be reached at allison@sptimes.com or (202) 463-0577.

[Last modified October 23, 2007, 00:25:15]