RNC set to punish five states for breaking rules

The Republican National Committee (RNC) on Monday issued its preliminary guidelines for the delegation selection process for next year’s convention, and put five states on notice that they violated GOP rules and risked losing their delegates if changes are not made before the final report.

{mosads}New Hampshire, Florida, South Carolina, Michigan and Wyoming all ran afoul of RNC rules by announcing their intentions to hold their nominating contests outside the RNC-allowed window.

The recommendation was adopted unanimously Monday morning by the RNC’s executive committee, according to RNC Chairman Mike Duncan.

“This will come as no surprise to the states involved,” Duncan said.

Speaking on a conference call to reporters, Duncan said he expects to hear from the states being punished, but he is not concerned about any lawsuits the states or individual state parties might initiate to seek relief from the penalties.

“I’m very confident of our legal footing,” Duncan said.

The RNC’s rules are not as harsh as those of its Democratic counterpart, which moved to penalize both Michigan and Florida by stripping them of 100 percent of their delegates.

Florida Democratic leaders have filed suit against the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

Duncan said the states in non-compliance can still revise their delegate selection plans to fit within the RNC rules.

“Of course, we always believe in redemption,” Duncan said.