GOP can get a big lift in early states Dems boycot

Donald Lambro:

Republican presidential candidates hope their participation in the early primaries in Florida and Michigan will help them win the two states, which Democrats plan to avoid owing to party rules.

"We've had conversations with all the Republican presidential campaigns, and they said they will continue to campaign here," said Saul Anuzis, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party.

The Republicans' primary calendar rules, like those of the Democrats, prohibit scheduling any primary before Feb. 5, except for the four approved contests in Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina. But Republicans in Florida last month moved their state's primary up to Jan. 29. Last week, the Michigan Legislature moved that state's primary to Jan. 15.

"The Democrats are actually asking their candidates to boycott the primary and not campaign here, or they will take away 100 percent of their delegates in the state," Mr. Anuzis said. "Our rules say we will lose 50 percent of our delegates, but nobody in our party is talking about boycotting anything. They are coming in to campaign."

In Florida, Republican Chairman Jim Greer, who said he has been in touch with all the party's presidential candidates, told The Washington Times that they all will continue to campaign in his state. "We are approaching the primary from a welcome standpoint, while it appears the Democrats are running from it," he said.

When Democrats prepared to participate in the two primaries, the Democratic National Committee's rules panel moved to strip the states of all their convention delegates if the candidates decided to campaign there. In response, Democratic officials in Florida threatened legal action against the DNC, charging that it was "disenfranchising" Democratic voters.

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This appears to be a serious strategic mistake by the Democrats that may alienate voters in these key states in order to support the prerogative of some smaller states with fewer electoral votes. The Democrats may be ceding the states they will need the most in the 2008 election. At the least the Republicans will have campaigned in those states and gotten their message out while the Democrats set on their stool supporting the primacy of New Hampshire and Iowa over bigger states.

This NY Times story highlights the anger that the DNC has generated among Florida Democrats by putting the small states interest ahead of the Democrats in Florida.

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“The D.N.C. apparently wants us to campaign on the slogan of ‘Make sure not a single vote counts,’ ” said State Senator Steven A. Geller, the minority leader. Incensed by the sanctions, even though he knew they were possible when he voted in May to change the primary date, Mr. Geller scrapped plans to endorse former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina and is urging against donating to the national committee or to candidates who avoid campaigning here.

At least one major donor, Wayne Hogan of Jacksonville, Fla., called off a fund-raising event he was organizing for the national committee after the vote on Aug. 25. Mr. Hogan, a trial lawyer, said he would contribute to candidates but could no longer stomach helping the committee.

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With all the Hsu money that Democrats are going to be disgorging in the coming weeks, the problems in Florida will be even more expensive for them.