Gingrich Asks Florida GOP to Allocate Delegates Proportionally

 Newt Gingrich’s campaign on Thursday confirmed that it will ask the Florida Republican Party to allocate its delegates proportionally rather than allowing state primary winner Mitt Romney to claim all 50 at the Republican National Convention.

The move drew criticism from state party officials as well as Romney, who accused his rival of not acting in enough haste. "It would be nice if Speaker Gingrich would challenge the rules before he's lost as opposed to after he has lost," Romney said on Fox News'Hannity.

Speaking to reporters following a Hispanic Leadership Roundtable in Las Vegas, Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said the campaign would be sending a letter to the Florida GOP.

The Republican National Committee “sent out rules last winter and stated any contest held before a certain date must award its delegates proportionally,” Hammond told the media. “Florida moved its [primary] inside of this date. So therefore, we're asking the state party of Florida to enforce the existing rules, which state they must award their delegates proportionally.”

Asked if they would be contesting the state’s allocation process had Gingrich won in Florida, Hammond replied, “Probably not.”

In response to the newly raised questions about Florida’s winner-take-all status, the Republican Party of Florida put out a statement from chairman Lenny Curry explaining that a rule unanimously passed by its executive board unequivocally stated that Florida would be winner-take-all “if the primary date was moved by statute and Florida was penalized by RNC for the move.”

“Florida was winner-take-all before Election Day, we were winner-take-all on Election Day, we will remain winner-take-all,” the statement read.

In response to the Gingrich campaign’s recent efforts to challenge the ruling, Curry wrote, “It is a shame when the loser of a contest agrees to the rules before, then cries foul after losing.”

Romney, for his part, said he isn't concerned about the rule process. "It's going to be worked out by the Republican National Committee," he said.