“Florida Dems to Keep Jan. 29 Primary”

 

Source:  MyWay News – 9/23/2007

Thoughts:  The battle over Florida continues.  As addressed by both myself and Meng Bomin over the past few months, the Democratic Party of Florida has decided to stick with their plan to hold their primaries on January 29th, the same day as the Republican party.  I believe this makes sense, even though it risks losing their chance to vote in the convention.  With both parties holding their primaries on the same day, it is less of an interruption of the state and general populations time, while maximizing their potential for a turnout at the polls.  To expand that further, a national primary might be the best option for everyone, where the whole nation stops for the day, and no party nor state has an undo influence over another by going first.

Article:  “Florida Dems to Keep Jan. 29 Primary”
By Brendan Farrington

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – The Florida Democratic Party will stick with a Jan. 29 presidential primary even if it means losing all its nominating convention delegates, a party source said Saturday.

(Article continues.)

The Democratic National Committee gave the state party until Sept. 29 to come up with an alternative delegate selection plan to stay within party rules, such as caucuses or a vote-by-mail primary, but party leadership has rejected that idea.

State party Chairman Karen Thurman, members of the congressional delegation and state legislative leaders were scheduling a news conference Sunday to announce their position. State party staff has been polling executive committee members and determined at least 75 percent support for the early primary, the source said. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because executive committee members were still be notified.

“On Jan. 29, 2.5 million Floridians are going to go to the polls, and that’s more telling than any caucus in Iowa,” said Miami-Dade County Democratic Party Chairman Joe Garcia. “We’ll be damned for it by some, but I think we’re doing the right thing.”

Broward County state committeewoman Diane Glasser, who also serves as state party first chair, said that she is fine with the decision as long as the state selects delegates in the event that they can go to the convention in Denver next summer.

“I’m not concerned with the DNC,” she said.

(Read the rest of the article here.)

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