It used to be that a certain gentleman from Florida agreed with that position, at least in broad strokes. In 2006, then-Florida state House speaker Marco Rubio produced a book called, “100 Innovative Ideas for Florida’s Future.” It included ideas from other prominent politicians and contributors, but Rubio did most of the heavy lifting. And Idea No. 37 of 100, which can be seen at the bottom of this article, was straightforward.
“New Hampshire, with fewer than 500,000 voters in its primary, and Iowa, with fewer than 200,000 participants,” he wrote, “simply cannot match the range of issues found in Florida, with its large, diverse population that reflects America’s overall demographics.” Rubio didn’t go so far as to suggest moving Florida in front of those states in the nominating process, choosing instead to have Florida go third. “The only way to change the status quo is to force candidates to be tested by more diverse populations and to address a wide range of issues,” he continued. “Holding Florida’s primary earlier would apply that force.”
There’s a critique buried in there! It’s sort of like seeing some idiot wearing Oakley sunglasses and you say, “Oakleys are so dorky,” and the person gets mad, so you add, “You’re the only one that can pull them off,” and they smile and are happy.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member