Posted on 01/19/2008 4:14:29 PM PST by Romneyfor President2008
Campaigns Turn Focus To Florida: Romney Visits Today; McCain Monday Other GOP Candidates Expected In Next 10 Days
UPDATED: 8:27 am EST January 19, 2008
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Mitt Romney will be the first of what is expected to be a parade of Republican candidates who will come through Jacksonville as the campaigns leave South Carolina and turn their attention to the next primary in Florida.
Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, will kick off his campaign blitz in the state with a planned appearance at 6:45 p.m. Saturday at the University of North Florida.
The doors of the University Center will open at 6 p.m. for what Romney officials call the "Change Begins With Us" rally.
Romney last appeared in the area in September, with a fundraiser in downtown Jacksonville and a town meeting in Orange Park.
Sen. John McCain is scheduled to appear at 5 p.m. on Monday at Mussallem Galleries at 5801 Philips Highway.
Sen. John McCain speaks to residents at the Fleet Landing retirement community in Atlantic Beach on March 28, 2007.
McCain's most recent visit to the area was last March, speaking to residents of an Atlantic Beach retirement community.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who made stops in Jacksonville and Yulee on Tuesday, plans to return to a yet-to-be-announced location in northeast Florida on Monday afternoon.
With the state being the largest prize yet of the primary season, political observers expect Sen. John McCain and Gov. Mike Huckabee to also spend time in Florida before the Jan. 29 primary.
Democratic candidates have promised the party's national committee not to campaign in the Florida to punish the state for moving its primary ahead of others in violation of party rules. The DNC also said it will not seat Florida's delegates at the party's convention this summer.
The Republican National Committee also was upset with the early primary, and says it will seat only half of the state's delegates.
On Friday, the state's U.S. senators -- Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Mel Martinez -- issued a joint statement and video message urging all Floridians to ignore the political party infighting and cast their votes on Jan. 29.
"The eyes of the nation will be on Florida," Martinez said.
"And the winners in Florida could well decide who the next president will be," added Nelson.
A Quinnipiac University poll of likely Republican voters in Florida released Jan. 14 showed a close race, with McCain leading the pack with 22 percent, Giuliani at 20 percent and Romney and Huckabee both pulling 19 percent.
The rats have been controlling our primaries, IMHO.
The concerted effort to move primaries forward resulted in having rat primary delegates stripped and rats registered as republicans to drive the results of our primaries.
In open primaries, this wasn't necessary as they could simply crossover and vote for McCain or Huckabee.
In Florida, there is a big push for McCain. Even my idiot liberal bro-in-law will change to republican to vote for him. Told me so at Christmas.
This is a plan long in the making.
The only real way around it would be to force a brokered convention or threaten a break with the party so fierce that party leaders couldn't ignore it.
IMHO, Thompson, Hunter and Romney are probably on the only true viable candidates amongst real representative Republicans. Our primary vote was diluted by crossovers and democrats registering as Republicans.
We've truly been disenfranchised, FRiends.
As President he will have the veto pen.
As President he will have the veto pen.
I am greatful for that. I just hope that we can keep veto proof in November.
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