Miami ? Facing a boycott by presidential candidates over the state’s hijacking of the presidential primary calendar, Florida Democrats are bracing themselves for the next best thing: their spouses.

Former President Bill Clinton is invited to the state party’s convention in Orlando next month, and Democratic leaders are planning to reach out to other spouses. The candidates themselves would typically attend the annual pep rally, with about 3,000 activists, but they’ve vowed to bypass Florida because the state’s early primary breaches national party rules.

In an election cycle with several high-profile spouses, it’s not unusual to see them pitching their significant others on the campaign trail. Book tours that brought Bill Clinton to Coral Gables and Elizabeth Edwards to Jacksonville last month drew overflow crowds.

“Spouses can be tremendously effective, but it’s key for the campaigns to have a strategy that highlights their strengths and downplays their weaknesses,” said Carole Kennedy, a San Diego State University professor.