Florida Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson today called on the Democratic National Committee to sanction and help pay for a new presidential primary or accept the results of the state’s disqualified Jan. 29 contest.
Florida’s senior senator said it’s crucial that his state’s Democratic delegates be reinstated to avoid a “train wreck” for the party heading into the August national convention in Denver.
“We’ll explore this and see if there’s some funding there [for another primary], but if there’s not, we’re heading into the biggest train wreck you’ve ever seen,” said Mr. Nelson, who has endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for president.
“If [party leaders] go to the Democratic convention and they stiff-arm the Florida delegation, how in the world do you think Floridians are going to support the Democratic nominee on [Election Day, Nov. 4]?”
In a letter Mr. Nelson sent today to Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean, he said the cost of any “redo” contest should not be passed on to taxpayers.
However, Mr. Dean said today that the state’s Democratic parties, not the DNC, is responsible for paying for any additional contests.
“We can’t afford to do that. That’s not our problem,” Mr. Dean said. “We need our money to win the presidential race.”
Mr. Nelson today sent a letter to Mr. Dean urging him to reconsider, saying it’s “in everybody’s interest to find a solution to this problem.” He added that he is “very worried” the issue may not be resolved by the party’s national convention in August.
The DNC stripped Florida and Michigan of their delegates after the states’ Democratic parties moved their primaries ahead of Feb. 5, violating national party rules.
The DNC says the states could have their delegates reinstated only if they held another contest to determine the Democratic winner or appealed to the party’s convention credentials committee, which won’t meet until just before the convention.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist this week said he would assist the Democratic Party in holding the primary, including the use of voting machines.
“The principle here is one person, one vote, which, by the way, we are a little sensitive about that principle in the state of Florida,” said Mr. Nelson, referring to the controversial vote count in Florida during the 2000 presidential election.
Mr. Nelson says he warned Mr. Dean as early as last summer, after the Florida Legislature voted to move its Democratic and Republican primaries to January, that the decision could have catastrophic consequences for the Democratic Party.
“And I couldn’t get Howard Dean and the DNC last summer to understand this,” the senator said. “So we are where we are now.”
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