Florida headed for March 15 presidential primary

The Florida Senate unanimously approved a bill on Wednesday that would set the state’s presidential primary for March 15 of next year.

The House had previously approved the measure, and Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is expected to sign the bill into law, according to the Palm Beach Post.

The March 15 date is later in the primary process, but the Florida contest could be full of intrigue if the two biggest names in Sunshine State politics, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R), are both still in the race.

March 15 is the earliest the winner-take-all primary is allowed to take place under Republican Party rules, but it wasn’t a given that Florida would comply.

In the last two cycles, Florida has bucked the party by moving its primary up, setting off a game of musical chairs among states vying for the early slots that can be the most influential in determining what candidate gets the nomination.

In 2012, Florida moved its primary from March 6 to Jan. 31, provoking Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Michigan and Arizona to schedule their primaries and caucuses earlier in the cycle.

The Republican National Committee penalized the states by cutting their number of delegates to the convention in half.

The RNC has since shortened the primary process and moved the convention to July to give the party more time to rally around its candidate before the November election.