Parties struggle to control primaries

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- For a state that is a key player in presidential politics, the 2008 campaign so far has been strangely lopsided.

On the Republican side, there have been plenty of candidate appearances and some TV ads. Last week, this city hosted a raucous debate that featured more noisy thunderbolts than a Tampa Bay thunderstorm.

And then there's the Democratic campaign for Florida's Jan. 29 presidential primary: Sounds of silence, interrupted by the occasional ka-ching of a cash register.

Except for appearances at private fundraisers, Democratic presidential hopefuls are steering clear of Florida. No campaign commercials, no stump speeches, no chats with local media. They've taken a no-campaign pledge at the urging of party officials angry at Florida's refusal to delay its primary.

The boycott adds another dose of drama to a state famed for its hanging chads, butterfly ballots and role in the 2000 presidential election. It also highlights the inability of both national parties to avert a train wreck of a primary schedule that threatens to collapse the presidential nominating process into two frenetic months.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) can strip Florida of its 210 delegates from the party's 2008 national convention. The judge said the party has a First Amendment right to set its own rules.

Spotlight on Republicans

Sen. Bill Nelson, who brought the suit against the committee, predicted the party's eventual nominee will end up seating the Florida delegation anyway because the state will be critical in the November election.

"It's stupid of the Democratic Party to put themselves in this position," said Stephen Craig, chairman of the political science department at the University of Florida.

In a statewide Mason-Dixon poll in mid-November for Florida Today, 26% of independent voters said they'd be less likely to vote for a candidate who didn't campaign in the primary.

Florida Republicans, meanwhile, are pinching themselves over their good fortune: For the next two months, they'll have the attention of voters in one of the nation's key political battlegrounds all to themselves.