Gov. Rick Scott's primary math: Florida has more people than early primary and caucus states combined

Gov. Rick Scott rallied Republican activists at Florida's Presidency 5 straw poll with an argument for the state's supremacy in choosing the party's presidential contender.

"None will have a greater impact on the selection of the nominee than our own primary in the Sunshine State," Scott told a crowd of 3,500 on Sept. 24, 2011.

While other primaries or caucuses might be earlier, he said, Florida's population and diversity set it apart.

"At nearly 19 million people, the population of Florida is larger than all the earlier primary and caucus states combined," he said.

The Republican National Committee allows just Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada to vote in February 2012 without penalty.

Florida has yet to choose its primary date. But state lawmakers would like to see it as early as possible, saying it better reflects the country than the four "early" states and should play an agenda-setting role.

As Scott made his plea, we wondered: Is the population of Florida larger than Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada combined? We turned to the U.S. Census Bureau:

2010 population

Iowa: 3 million
New Hampshire: 1.3 million
South Carolina: 4.6 million
Nevada: 2.7 million
Total: 11.7 million

Florida: 18.8 million

So, Scott's right on. Florida's "nearly 19 million people" does eclipse the early states' nearly 12 million. (Now, that doesn't tell us who actually votes there — but he didn't say voters, so we won't quibble.)