So far, it's been mostly fun. Now it gets a bit more serious. But it's probably not nearly as important as the press and many politicians would have you think.  By Joe Raedle, Getty Images  People recite the Pledge of Allegiance as they wait to hear Newt Gingrich speak during a campaign event Wednesday in Sarasota, Fla.  By Joe Raedle, Getty Images  People recite the Pledge of Allegiance as they wait to hear Newt Gingrich speak during a campaign event Wednesday in Sarasota, Fla.  Al Neuharth USA TODAY founder  Florida's Republican presidential primary next Tuesday is the biggest thing we've seen so far. Either Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich will get another leg up on the GOP nominating convention in Tampa Aug. 27-30.  But whoever wins Florida will still have just a fraction of the votes necessary to get the GOP nomination. There will be 2,286 delegates at the GOP nominating convention.  Florida has 50. Since it is my adopted state, Tuesday's election holds special interest. I think it's a tossup.  Romney is likely to win in South Florida, where many voter residents are from the Northeast. Gingrich probably will win in northern Florida, where many voter residents are from his neighboring Georgia.  The key is the broad strip across mid-Florida, from the Space Coast on the east to a booming Orlando in the central and the St. Petersburg-Tampa area on the west coast. Both Gingrich and Romney have been working that mid-belt hard.  If you're one of the 17 million who visit Disney World annually in central Florida, you need to know that when it comes to politics, this is not a Mickey Mouse state. Most of us who live here have backgrounds from all across the country. So we're varied not just in our lifestyles but also in politics.  Think about that as you evaluate Tuesday's election.  Feedback: Other views on the Florida primary  "With 10 media markets and a diverse electorate, Florida serves as the first true test of presidential campaigns and will again play a crucial role in selecting the GOP nominee."  —Lenny Curry, chairman, Republican Party of Florida  "Polls suggest a tight race too close to call, and that means that the conservative base, galvanized by Gingrich in South Carolina, may prove to be the key to an improbable Gingrich victory."  —Daniel Alvarez, professor, Florida International University  , visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor  . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to  . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to  USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the  Every Florida voter knows the horror of receiving a jury duty notice. The trial is always about some filthy illegal alien scumbag from Mexico or Central America that murdered or raped an American citizen. The rape victims are always very young 7 or eight years old; the murder victims are very old late seventies early eighties. The accused is a mean looking young Hispanic male covered with visible gang tattoos. You knew he was guilty the minute the sheriff’s deputy brought him into the courtroom but you waste several weeks of your life coming to court every day listening to the capital defender team argue that none of the 27 weapons that the police found in the stolen car were the murder weapon. Then you finally get to deliberate with your fellow jurors, whom you have come to hate and it takes almost an hour to re-read the jury instruction and find the illegal alien scumbag guilty. Several months later a left wing nutjob named Obama or McCain or Gingrich wants to give amnesty to these illegal alien scumbags so they can bring their entire extended family to the USA.  I can see hanging chads in their future.
Al Neuharth: The Sunshine State may trump Iowa and New Hampshire, but the real race still lies ahead.