Florida Democrats say no do-over

The Florida Democratic Party said this afternoon it won't pursue a do-over of its contested primary, putting the dispute squarely in the lap of the Democratic National Committee's rules committee next month.

Florida officials had floated the idea last week of a mail-in vote, but questions quickly arose about its logistics and fairness. The consensus from thousands of Democrats is against a revote, Representative Karen L. Thurman, the state party's chairwoman, says in a letter to Democrats.

"A party-run primary or caucus has been ruled out, and it's simply not possible for the state to hold another election, even if the Party were to pay for it," Thurman writes.

Florida, along with Michigan, was penalized by the DNC for holding its primary in January, earlier than party rules allowed.

Hillary Clinton won both primaries, even though the candidates didn't campaign and Obama wasn't even on the ballot in Michigan. She has been furiously trying to get the states' delegates counted as she tries to catch Barack Obama.

UPDATE: "Today’s announcement brings us no closer to counting the votes of the nearly 1.7 million people who voted in January. We hope the Obama campaign shares our belief that Florida’s voters must be counted and cannot be disenfranchised," Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said in a statement.

UPDATE: "We hope that all parties can agree on a fair seating of the Florida delegates so that Florida can participate in the Democratic Convention, and we look forward to working with the Florida Democratic Party and competing vigorously in the state so that Barack Obama can put Florida back into the Democratic column in November," the Obama campaign said in a statement.