Friday, September 16, 2011

Members of President Preference Primary Date Selection Committee Named in Florida

Speaking of the Presidential Preference Primary Date Selection Committee...

With the clock ticking down to the October 1 deadline by which state law requires a decision on the date of the Florida presidential primary to be made, Governor Rick Scott, House Speaker Dean Cannon and Senate President Mike Haridopolos today named the members of the committee to complete that task.1 The nine member -- three members chosen by the governor and the state House and Senate leaders -- Presidential Preference Primary Date Selection Committee (PPPDSC) is made up of six Republicans and three Democrats. The three Republican leaders had to select at least one Democrat based on the law behind the creation of the PPPDSC. That explains the 6-3 Republican advantage on the committee.

The nine members according to Michael Bender at The Buzz (St. Petersburg Times) are: 

Republicans: Jenn Ungru, former Gov. Bob Marinez, Sens. John Thrasher of St. Augustine and Rene Garcia of Hialeah, and Reps. Carlos Lopez Cantera of Miami and Seth McKeel of Lakeland.
Democrats: Sen. Gary Siplin of Orlando, former Sen. Al Lawson and state Rep. Cynthia Stafford of Miami.

The News Service of Florida is reporting that the PPPDSC is set to have its first meeting next week on Friday, September 23. That is just eight days prior to the deadline for a date decision. It is also a date that overlaps with the planned Presidency V event which will bring some of the Republican presidential hopefuls to the state for a debate and straw poll. A second meeting is scheduled the following Friday; the day before the October 1 deadline.

UPDATE: Of the six legislative members of the committee (four of which are Republicans), one, John Thrasher, has already endorsed Romney. Here is the full list of Florida Republican endorsements thus far..

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1 Here are the press releases from...
Scott:

Today, Florida Governor Rick Scott announced his three choices for Florida’s Presidential Preference Primary Date Selection Committee.
Former Republican Governor Bob Martinez served as Florida’s 40th governor from 1987 to 1991. Before that he served as the mayor of Tampa, the city where he was born.
Former Democrat Senator Al Lawson represented Floridians from 11 panhandle counties from 2001 to 2011 in the state senate, and before that he served nearly two decades in the Florida House of Representatives.
Jenn Ungru, a Republican, is Governor Scott’s deputy chief of staff with oversight responsibilities over the Department of State. She has served in the Scott administration since the inauguration and has more than a decade of campaign and election experience in Florida and nationwide.

Cannon:

Please find attached my correspondence to Secretary of State Kurt Browning appointing the following House Members to the Presidential Preference Primary Date Selection Committee:
Representative Carlos Lopez-Cantera
Representative Seth McKeel
Representative Cynthia Stafford

Haridopolos:

Senate President Mike Haridopolos (R-Merritt Island) today announced the appointment of Senators Rene Garcia, Gary Siplin and John Thrasher to the Presidential Preference Primary Committee.
Senator Rene Garcia (R-Hialeah) currently represents Florida Senate District 40, which consists of part of Miami-Dade County.  Garcia first was elected to the Senate in 2010.  Prior to serving in the Florida Senate, Garcia was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2000-2008.
Senator Gary Siplin (D-Orlando) currently represents Florida Senate District 19, which consists of parts of Orange and Osceola Counties.  Siplin was first elected to the Senate in 2002 and was subsequently reelected.  Prior to serving in the Florida Senate, Siplin was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2000-2002.
Senator John Thrasher (R-St. Augustine) currently represents Florida Senate District 8, which consists of parts of Duval, Flagler, Nassau, St. Johns and Volusia Counties.  Thrasher was first elected to the Senate in 2009 and was subsequently reelected.  Prior to serving in the Florida Senate, Thrasher was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1992-2000; he also served as Speaker of the Florida House from 1998-2000.



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