Florida Democrats stick with Jan. 29 primary

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – The Florida Democratic Party is sticking to its primary date and has printed bumper stickers to prove it.

State party leaders formally announced on Sunday their plans to move ahead with a Jan. 29 primary, despite the national leadership’s threatened sanctions.

The Democratic National Committee has said it will strip the Sunshine State of its 210 nominating convention delegates if it doesn’t abide by the party-set calendar, which forbids most states from holding primary contests before Feb. 5. The exceptions are Iowa on Jan. 14, Nevada on Jan. 19, New Hampshire on Jan. 22 and South Carolina on Jan. 29.

Michigan has also leapfrogged the national party’s order by scheduling a Jan. 15 primary.

Florida’s Democratic leaders say they want their key swing state to play a bigger role in choosing the party’s nominee.

“The 4 million Florida Democrats will be enfranchised,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said at a news conference.

The state party will proceed with its usual selection process for the convention in 2008, Schultz said, “and we fully expect that delegation to be seated.”