State Sen. Arthenia Joyner is part of a grassroots effort to organize locally for Hillary Clinton.
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By BILLY HOUSE and WILLIAM MARCH
VIENNA, Va. -- Democratic leaders from states that pushed for sanctions and a candidate boycott against Florida's presidential primary said Thursday they are confident the measures won’t hurt their presidential nominee’s chances of winning the White House in 2008.
Gathered here for the Democratic National Committee's annual fall meeting, these Democrats insisted Republican candidates aren’t gaining an edge by actively campaigning in the state, including their nationally televised debate Wednesday night in St. Petersburg.
“I think most voters really kind of see this partisan, internal party stuff,” said New Hampshire Democratic Chairman Raymond Buckley.
“They (voters) are more interested in results and issues and how this affects their lives,” he said. “This primary stuff is not terribly relevant to their day-to-day lives,” Buckley said.
“We won’t lose Florida,” declares South Carolina’s Democratic Party chairwoman Carol Fowler. “We need Florida.”
Still, there are signs of frustration in the Sunshine State.
A group of Tampa Democratic stalwarts has formed a local grassroots effort to organize for Hillary Clinton, independent of her national campaign.
The group includes some of Tampa’s most prominent Democratic fundraisers and activists—former Mayor Sandy Freedman, Bill McBride, Clerk of Court Pat Frank and daughter Stacy Frank, school board member April Griffin, former county Commissioner Phyllis Busansky and state Sen. Arthenia Joyner.
They have a web site—http://www.tampaforhillary.com/—and are starting local grassroots organizing efforts.
Clinton, like the other leading Democrats, has agreed to a request by the Democratic parties in the early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire to boycott Florida until Florida’s Jan. 29 primary is over.
The Jan. 29 date chosen by the legislature violates the schedule set by the national party, which said only the four early states—Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina—could have primaries before Feb. 5.
And Florida will soon not be alone. This weekend, Michigan expects to join Florida as a big election swing state similarly punished by the party for violating primary calendar rules.
William March reported from Tampa. Billy House can be reached at 202-662-7673 or at bhouse@mediageneral.com
VIENNA, Va. -- Democratic leaders from states that pushed for sanctions and a candidate boycott against Florida's presidential primary said Thursday they are confident the measures won’t hurt their presidential nominee’s chances of winning the White House in 2008.
Gathered here for the Democratic National Committee's annual fall meeting, these Democrats insisted Republican candidates aren’t gaining an edge by actively campaigning in the state, including their nationally televised debate Wednesday night in St. Petersburg.
“I think most voters really kind of see this partisan, internal party stuff,” said New Hampshire Democratic Chairman Raymond Buckley.
“They (voters) are more interested in results and issues and how this affects their lives,” he said. “This primary stuff is not terribly relevant to their day-to-day lives,” Buckley said.
“We won’t lose Florida,” declares South Carolina’s Democratic Party chairwoman Carol Fowler. “We need Florida.”
Still, there are signs of frustration in the Sunshine State.
A group of Tampa Democratic stalwarts has formed a local grassroots effort to organize for Hillary Clinton, independent of her national campaign.
The group includes some of Tampa’s most prominent Democratic fundraisers and activists—former Mayor Sandy Freedman, Bill McBride, Clerk of Court Pat Frank and daughter Stacy Frank, school board member April Griffin, former county Commissioner Phyllis Busansky and state Sen. Arthenia Joyner.
They have a web site—http://www.tampaforhillary.com/—and are starting local grassroots organizing efforts.
Clinton, like the other leading Democrats, has agreed to a request by the Democratic parties in the early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire to boycott Florida until Florida’s Jan. 29 primary is over.
The Jan. 29 date chosen by the legislature violates the schedule set by the national party, which said only the four early states—Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina—could have primaries before Feb. 5.
And Florida will soon not be alone. This weekend, Michigan expects to join Florida as a big election swing state similarly punished by the party for violating primary calendar rules.
William March reported from Tampa. Billy House can be reached at 202-662-7673 or at bhouse@mediageneral.com