Stuck On Stupid

 Hoping to muscle Florida into a pre-eminent role in picking next year’s Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, the state House voted Wednesday to leapfrog almost all the other states and set a Jan. 29 primary, with an option to go even earlier.

The change, championed by House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, and approved 115-1, is part of a national rush by states coveting the clout of Iowa and New Hampshire. Those states have enormous sway in choosing presidential candidates, even though they are small and, some say, unrepresentative of the nation’s people and politics. The proposal must still pass the Senate.

"Florida is obviously going to be the big enchilada on the 29th. It will immediately become very, very important," said Nichol Rae, political science professor at Florida International University.

Florida’s bid for increased influence is being tempered by the other vote-rich giants, California, New York and Texas. California already has moved its primary to Feb. 5, and the others are expected to do the same.

It has been more than three decades since Florida mattered much when it comes to picking presidential candidates.

Other states have moved up their primaries in recent years, and more and more attention has been going to earlier states. In the past few presidential races, the parties’ nominees have been effectively decided before Florida primary voters had a chance to participate.

Presidential hopefuls aren’t exactly strangers to the Sunshine State, but their main interest has been tapping big campaign contributors, rather than competing for the allegiance of everyday voters or political leaders such as South Florida’s legendary condo commandos.

State Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, who sponsored the legislation, said candidates think of Florida as an ATM for campaign contributions.

If the date change becomes law, Floridians can expect an influx of candidates. Already, as talk of an earlier Florida primary intensified in recent months, presidential campaigns aggressively have sought to round up endorsements of Florida political leaders and operatives.

That’s what many Florida politicos want. "Because we’re one of the megastates, we think we should be playing a role," said Broward Democratic Chairman Mitch Ceasar.

Rubio believes Florida, with a population far more diverse than Iowa and New Hampshire, can do a better job picking candidates for both parties than the current system.