Florida Democrats Seek Lifting Of Ban

TAMPA - A last-ditch plea by Florida Democrats to allow their presidential candidates to campaign in Florida this weekend - including a televised debate Sunday - seems unlikely to get a positive response.

The Democratic National Committee issued a statement Wednesday saying, in essence, it's not its concern.

Democratic parties in the "early primary states," which demanded the boycott-Florida pledge from the candidates, may not be sympathetic either.

A spokesman for the South Carolina Democratic Party said that even though the state parties asked for the pledge, they aren't responsible for enforcing it or for saying whether it's time to release it.

The plea was made by state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, the top elected Democrat in state government, accompanied by state Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Delray Beach, and other Democratic state legislators.

In a letter to DNC Chair Howard Dean and the chairmen of the four state parties, Sink said the boycott pledge will have achieved its purpose after the South Carolina primary Saturday.

South Carolina is the last of the four early primary states to vote.

She said she hoped the candidates could do last-minute campaigning here and participate in a televised debate planned for Sunday. So far, no candidates plan to attend.

When the GOP-dominated Florida Legislature scheduled a Jan. 29 primary, jumping ahead of Feb. 5 without DNC approval, the Democratic parties in the four states demanded that the candidates pledge not to campaign in Florida before its primary.

Sink said Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman was contacting the state party chairmen involved and that the responses had been "positive."

DNC spokesman Luis Miranda sent out a statement saying the early states and the campaigns, not the DNC, were responsible for the pledge.

Spokesmen for the state parties in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada didn't return calls and e-mails for comment.

Joe Werner of South Carolina's party, said he didn't know when the pledge expires, but that the candidates "know what the rules of the pledge are."

"Is it still relevant any more after South Carolina? That's up to the voters of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina," he said.

Asked how the voters could enforce that ban after their primaries are over, he referred to how they might vote in later primaries, the general election and in future elections.