The Hill News

South Carolina GOP Chairmain Chad Connelly said Thursday that his state would ensure that it remained the first Republican primary in the South, saying he viewed his state's spot in the calendar as "sacred."

“Look, we’re going to stay first in the South. That’s the most important thing to the people of South Carolina. We’re going to be the first in the South. Sure, I have to accept the penalties if it imposes them on me. But it doesn’t mean that I can’t pitch a fit there and let them know that this isn’t right," Connelly said at a press conference.

The Republican National Committee has been scrambling to keep order in the primary field, telling states other than Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada that they would lose half their convention delegates if they hold their contests before March 6. But that threat didn't stop Michigan and Arizona from pushing their contests into late February, in hopes of getting a jump on the Supe! r Tuesday contests and increasing their relevance in the process.

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