No New Primary For Florida Democrats

WASHINGTON (CNN) — After weeks of negotiations, the Florida Democratic Party said Monday it will not hold a second primary in the state.

State party leaders have been seeking a way to have Florida’s delegation seated at the Democratic National Convention.

“We researched every potential alternative process — from caucuses to county conventions to mail-in elections — but no plan could come anywhere close to being viable in Florida,” state party Chairwoman Karen Thurman said In an e-mail sent to Florida Democrats late Monday afternoon.

Thurman said the decision now falls to the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee, which is scheduled to meet again next month.

“Thousands of people responded,” she said. “We spent the weekend reviewing your messages, and while your reasons vary widely, the consensus is clear: Florida doesn’t want to vote again. So we won’t.”

The Democratic National Committee stripped Florida of its delegates when the state moved its primary to January 29, ahead of the DNC-approved time frame.

The DNC also stripped Michigan of its delegates; voters there cast ballots January 15.

Florida’s Democrats knew when they cast ballots in January that their votes would not count because the primary date violated party rules. Neither candidate campaigned there, though Clinton held a few permitted fundraisers.

Clinton handily won Florida, winning not only most of the counties but also every county in the lower three-quarters of the state. She took 50 percent of the vote to Obama’s 33 percent. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who has since dropped out of the race, snared 14 percent of the vote.

The proposal for a re-vote — floated earlier by state party officials — called for a combined mail-in and in-person election to be held on June 3.