GOP Penalizes 5 Early Primary States

Republican party leaders voted today to punish five states for holding their primaries too early, the AP reports. New Hampshire, Florida, South Carolina, Michigan, and Wyoming will lose half their delegates to next summer’s national convention because they plan to stage primaries before Feb. 5. Iowa gets off on a technicality. None of the states will change their dates because of the RNC's punishment.

Reps from the punished states seem unfazed. In fact, the Michigan GOP chief is sure all 60 of his delegates will be seated anyway. For others, the punishment pales in comparison with the glamor of the early primary. Gushed another state chairman: "What South Carolina gets from a Republican primary that's first in the South far outweighs any internal considerations." (More RNC stories.)