If Florida moves it’s primary to January, as expected, despite Republican National Committee rules to the contrary, the state will have less of an impact on the Republican nomination process because of the proportional representation and loss of delegates that would ensue according to RNC rules; such a sequence would benefit Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas.

With two top-tier candidates in Perry and former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., the current Republican field increasingly recalls the 2008 Democratic primary battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Originally, the Democratic National Committee penalized Florida for holding its primary ahead of schedule, but granted a compromise that significantly diminished the sting. Florida Republicans must hope the RNC will also back down.