The Hill News

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) said Monday that she will keep her state’s GOP presidential primary scheduled for Feb. 28, a violation of Republican National Committee rules that could disrupt the GOP primary schedule.

As a result, Arizona will vote seven days before March 6 â€" “Super Tuesday” â€" a mutually agreed-upon date between the Republican and Democratic national committees. States that schedule primaries before March 6 â€" with the exception of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, traditional leading primaries â€" face! sanctions at the party conventions, including the loss of delegates.

{mosads}But states such as Arizona are calculating that the political clout of an early primary means more in exerting influence than actual delegates.

“It has always been a priority of mine to ensure that Arizona and its voters play an influential role in the nomination process, and that Southwestern issues are addressed by the candidates in a meaningful fashion,” Brewer said Monday in a news release. “I am confident both goals will be realized, given this ! primary date and the RNC’s preliminary selection of Arizona ! for a GO P presidential debate.”

Party leaders are concerned that other states looking to have a bigger impact â€" including Florida and Michigan â€" might follow suit, leading to chaos as states scramble to react to each subsequent date change. Florida’s primary is currently scheduled for Jan. 31, although state Republicans admit that the date is fluid.

Arizona’s date also conflicts with the South Carolina primary scheduled for Feb. 28, meaning the Palmetto State will likely have to move its primary up. South Carolina Republicans are already saying they plan to do so, although party leaders are hesitant to select an exact day out of fear that other states might again try to leapfrog them. Still, doing so could set off a domino effect, pushing Iowa and New Hampshire primaries into January.

Nevertheless, many Re! publicans are happy that Brewer did not push the envelope further. Originally, the Arizona governor was said to be looking at a Jan. 31 date, but acquiesced when the RNC promised to host a presidential debate in the state.