Florida Primary Jump; Richardson Declares

Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed legislation Monday that moves Florida into a tie for second place in the "when shall we host a primary" race. The new date for the Florida 2008 presidential primary is 29 January. Florida had been part of the first-Saturday-in-March gang.

Decision-making events occurring before the Florida event are caucuses in Iowa and Nevada and the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary. South Carolina has also scheduled its Democratic primary on 29 January.

In the "my hat's in the ring, too" news, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson formerly joined the campaign on Monday. He is one of the few candidates in either party with executive experience and also has foreign policy experience, serving as ambassador to the United Nations during the Clinton Administration.