How Florida's Later, Winner-Take-All Primary Is Both Risky and Rewarding for the Crown Prince

All goes to your rightful king!

Whichever Republican wins next year's Florida primary will get all of the state's many delegates. But the home-state candidates will have to wait longer to get there.

(National Journal) - Florida's decision to hold its presidential primary in mid-March, rather than closer to the beginning of next year's nominating contests, has altered more than the chronology of the 2016 calendar. It deprives former Gov. Jeb Bush of an early state where he would begin as a strong front-runner, but instead sets up a winner-take-all battle for Florida's treasure trove of delegates later. The new date, March 15, is the earliest under the Republican Party's rules that Florida can hold its primary and give all its delegates to the winner, a potential windfall for Bush, who currently holds a huge lead in the polls there. At the same time, the decision to move Florida deeper into the nominating contest ratchets up the pressure on Bush, as well as Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, to notch an early win elsewhere. Read more.