Former Senator Rick Santorum is voicing objection to Florida’s decision to move its primary to January 31, before the early primary and caucus states are set to hold theirs.
“Anyone who’s watched the debates realizes that even as Republicans, there are many issues we don’t agree on — but there are two things we all should agree on: Barack Obama has to go and Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina should remain first in the presidential primary process,” Santorum said in a statement.
“These early states have the deserved reputation of testing candidates and ensuring the emergence of the strongest Republican presidential nominee,” he added. “The Republican Parties in the early states can count on my support to help maintain their vital role in the process. And I ask the other Republican candidates to have the courage to join me in supporting the early states.”
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s campaign, on the other hand, declined to voice an opinion on the move.
“Governor Romney is running a national campaign and he intends to compete in every nominating contest in every state. We will leave the decisions regarding the nominating calendar up to the Republican National Committee and the states,” said Romney spokesman Ryan Williams.
The move by Florida is still tentative, but if it happens, election season will get started a month sooner, with Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada moving their primaries and caucuses to early January, before the Florida primary.
All four states have said that they will make the necessary arrangements to hold onto their early-state status. (RELATED: Cain: I could not support Perry if he became GOP nominee)
“Florida’s decision to move its primary is disappointing and, frankly, disrespectful of the other early primary states and the process as a whole,” said Nevada Republican Party Chairman Amy Tarkanian. “Because the date of Nevada’s caucus is, by rule, four days after New Hampshire’s, we will move Nevada’s First in the West caucus if the New Hampshire GOP moves theirs.”
According to Politico, Iowa GOP Chairman Matt Strawn also put his foot down, declaring, “Iowa will be first.”
South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Chad Connelly gave Politico a similar response: “Here’s the bottom line. I’m going to have the first-in-the-South, and everybody’s effort to be more relevant is going to result in everyone becoming more irrelevant,” he said.
New Hampshire has indicated that it will adjust the date of its primary if necessary for it to remain the nation’s first.
Florida’s move would violate Republican National Committee rules, which stipulate that no state other than Iowa, South Carolina, Nevada or New Hampshire can hold a primary before March 6. The penalty for doing so is the loss of half of a state’s delegates at the Republican Convention.
Though RNC Chairman Reince Preibus has indicated that those penalties will be enforced, Josh Putnam, a visiting assistant professor at Davidson University, who writes the FrontloadingHQ blog, notes says they will likely not be strictly upheld, “unless there is a brokered convention.” If there is a presumptive nominee, he or she will likely ask for those delegates to be allowed to be seated, as a means of unifying the party, Putnam said.