TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida took a step toward shaking up the presidential primary process on Thursday, giving final legislative approval to moving the state's 2008 primary to Jan. 29 and bypassing a dozen other states set for Feb. 5.

 Moving up Florida's primary, which is currently in early March, would put the state's contest behind only the Iowa and Nevada Caucuses and the New Hampshire primary -- and on the same day as South Carolina's Democratic primary.

State party leaders have argued Florida's diversity and size merit more influence in deciding the nation's leadership. The delegate-rich state decided the disputed 2000 presidential election.

 Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, who has consistently voiced his support for giving the nation's fourth-largest state more say, is expected to sign the bill. The House voted 118-0 on Thursday to pass the measure. The Senate last week voted for the plan, which also would replace touch-screen voting machines in 15 counties with a paper-trail system.

 Florida's move immediately incurred the wrath of South Carolina party leaders and predictions that the national parties will penalize the state.

National Republican and Democratic leaders have said they will take away delegates to the nominating conventions if Florida moved its primary earlier than Feb. 5. The Democratic National Committee has said a candidate who campaigns in Florida for a primary earlier than Feb. 5 will be ineligible for receiving any of the state's delegates.

 "It's very bad for the process," said South Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Carol Fowler, who argued that candidates will be forced to spend more money on television and devote less time to meeting voters.

 The former DNC Rules Committee co-chair said she has no doubts that the DNC will enforce rules that will deprive candidates and the state of delegates to the national convention for holding a primary outside of the party's rules.

 "Under Democratic Party rules, this is an illegal process. They will have to have their own legal process later," she said. "This is not much more than a straw poll."

 Some 12 states, including California, New York and New Jersey, are scheduled to hold their primaries on Feb. 5, and at least seven others are looking to move up their contests.



S.C. Democratic Party statement

on Florida's legislation

COLUMBIA -- Newly elected South Carolina Democratic Party chair Carol Fowler released the following statement on Florida's legislation regarding the 2008 presidential primary:

"The South Carolina Democratic Party is committed to working with the DNC to ensure that its original intentions, which are that South Carolina is the first Southern state to hold its primary for the Democratic nomination, are carried out.

"The DNC chose South Carolina as an important early primary state because of our diverse population and because South Carolina is the perfect state for person-to-person, retail politics.  We're committed to working with the DNC to follow the rules and ensure that its original intentions are carried out. We believe that the process spelled out in the DNC's rules is most likely to result in the selection of the strongest possible nominee."

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