South Carolina Poised to Push Up Primary

Democrats in South Carolina would still vote on Jan. 29.

The evolving primary calendar is the result of states like New York and California moving their contests earlier in the year as the seek to play more of a role in choosing the nominees. As dates have changed, both Republicans and Democrats running for president have had to shift their strategies for winning their party's respective nods.

States have until Sept. 4 to disclose to the Republican National Committee the date and format of their nominating contests. That's when the calendar becomes official under national party rules.

By Dec. 31, RNC Chairman Mike Duncan must formally invite states to the nominating convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul next summer and declare how many delegates each state gets.

Any state that moves its primary or caucus earlier than Feb. 5 before that "call to convention" risks being penalized half its delegates under RNC guidelines set during the last presidential election.

"The RNC rules adopted at the convention in 2004 are clear and will be applied equally to every state party," said Lisa Miller, an RNC spokeswoman.

If a state changes its nominating date after the "call to convention," the RNC will penalize it 90 percent of its delegates.

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Associated Press Writer Mike Glover in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.