FL-2012 Primary: 43% Romney, 31% Gingrich, 13% Santorum, 9% Paul (ARG 1/29-30)

American Research Group
1/29-30/12; 600 likely voters, 4% margin of error
Mode: Live telephone interviews
ARG release

Florida

2012 President: Republican Primary
43% Romney
31% Gingrich
13% Santorum
9% Paul
(chart)

Comments

[Rightbrainedleftwinged]

04:04 PM on 01/31/2012

it will be interesting to see if Santorum pulls out tonight. It would be interesting to see if he'd endorse Gingrich.

[Field Marshall]

01:28 PM on 01/31/2012

The FL primary is winner-take-all. Originally the state had 99 delegates. The RNC simply reduced the number of delegates by half, from 99 to 50, as a penalty. It is still winner-tak­e-all.

[bipartisanshipsailed]

05:42 PM on 01/31/2012

it is not winner take all. if you have a primary before april by rule you cannot be a winner take al primary
They can be challenged Romney himself was going to challenge it when he thought he would lose the primary

[bipartisanshipsailed]

12:50 PM on 01/31/2012

The RNC certified a new set of primary rules in 2010 that forbade winner-take-all contests from occurring before April 1.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2840394/posts

[bipartisanshipsailed]

11:36 AM on 01/31/2012

Interesting to know that any moved their primary date up early and weren't supposed to, cannot be a winner take all primary or caucus if they did so before april according to the GOP primary rules. So FL cannot give all it's delegates to the winner no matter who wins. So basically all newt has to do is place second and he may get some delegate if he has someone is FL dispute how the delegates are supposed to be counted. Knowing newt's team I bet he doesn't even realize the rule.

[stillow1]

11:44 AM on 01/31/2012

FL is winner take all.......all 50 delegates will be awarded to the winner.

[bipartisanshipsailed]

12:43 PM on 01/31/2012

Nope the rules say that states that have their primary before april cannot have a winner take all primary they are to be proportioned. Fl decided to break the GOP rules and have a winner take all primary. however, any register republican can dispute the winner take all status.

[Field Marshall]

01:26 PM on 01/31/2012

Yes, it is. The RNC simply reduced the number of delegates by half, from 99 to 50, as a penalty. It is still winner-take-all.

[Rocketsfan]

12:07 PM on 01/31/2012

No he can't. The GOP penalized Florida so that Fla can only have 50 voting delegates, half of what they normally rate. If Florida sends the 100 delegates they normally would rate under the rules they would not be seated by the GOP committee.

The Florida GOP knew this when they decided the date of the primary. They operated under the belief/hope that the national committee would not penalize such a populous and important state. The loss of half the delegates was a compromise within the national party as to the Florida question.

[bipartisanshipsailed]

12:49 PM on 01/31/2012

At least one Republican has announced he plans to file a challenge to the state's delegate system with the Republican National Committee. The challenge could be heard in May. By that time, there's a chance the nomination will be effectively wrapped up, so it won't make a difference. But the race is volatile. So this could become a bigger issue.

And it's not just candidate backers who say that's the case. Michael Steele, former RNC chairman, said the state should lose half its delegates AND award them proportionately.

"I know," Steele said. "I was there. I helped write the rules."

Said RPOF spokesman Hughes: "He's not the chairman now

Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2012/01/florida-primary-delegate-drama-winner-take-all-or-proportional-delegates.html#storylink=cpy

[AaronTX]

03:25 PM on 01/31/2012

2nd time FL has done this, don't know why FL Dems and Repubs insist on breaking the rules.

[stillow1]

11:10 AM on 01/31/2012

Mitty leads with thsoe who voted early, 51-29..............and over a 3rd of voters have already voted. Fat lady is dressed, gettin her hair done and heading out to the stage!