South Carolina sets primary for Jan. 21

The Ticket

South Carolina will host its presidential primary on Jan. 21, sources told CNN Monday morning ahead of a press conference to announce the state's decision.

The Jan. 21 date puts 10 days between South Carolina's first-in-the-south primary and the primary ballot in Florida. On Friday, Florida officials announced their plans to flout Republican National Committee rules and hold a primary on Jan. 31 in the hopes of becoming the fifth nominating contest of the year.

Update 12:30 p.m. ET: The South Carolina Republican party confirmed the Jan. 21 date at an 11 a.m. press conference, accusing Florida's primary commission of bringing "chaos to the 2012 calendar" last week. "Today, South Carolina is making things right," said state party chair Chad Connelly.