Florida Dem do-over scuttled

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 17 (UPI) -- Florida Democrats will not get a second chance at picking a presidential nominee, party leaders in Tallahassee said Monday.

Party leaders announced the decision after failing to reach agreement on a mail-in revote, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. The idea of a do-over didn't generate enough support among rank-and-file Democrats or party leaders, the newspaper reported.

"Thousands of people responded. We spent the weekend reviewing your messages, and while your reasons vary widely, the consensus is clear: Florida doesn't want to vote again," state Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman said in a letter distributed to Democratic activists late Monday. "So we won't."

National party leaders stripped Florida and Michigan of their delegates to the national nominating convention as punishment for holding their state primaries early.

With Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Clinton of New York locked in a close battle for the nomination, however, those two states have sought ways to have representation at the August convention. Last week, Florida party leaders suggested holding a privately financed, party-run June 3 election primarily by mail, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

Clinton bested Obama in Florida's Jan. 29 primary but the Illinois senator didn't campaign in the state.