The Iowa caucuses will be Jan. 3, state Republican Chairman Matt Strawn announced after a Monday evening conference call of the Iowa GOP?s Central Committee that set the date.
The announcement leaves New Hampshire as the last state to announce the date of its presidential nominating contest. Iowa went forward with setting its date without waiting for New Hampshire, its traditional partner at the beginning of the presidential calendar to set its own.
Continue ReadingThe result could upend the primary calendar by pushing New Hampshire?s date into December ? potentially reverberating into the calculus of the nomination itself. Iowa is usually the first vote of the season, followed by New Hampshire, but now New Hampshire may go first.
?On behalf of over 600,000 Iowa Republicans, I?m excited to announce the first step Iowans will have to replace Barack Obama and his failed presidency will be next January 3 at our First in the Nation Iowa Caucuses,? Strawn said in an Iowa GOP press release. ?A January 3 date provides certainty to the voters, to our presidential candidates, and to the thousands of statewide volunteers who make the Caucus process a reflection of the very best of our representative democracy.?
Much weighs on the calendar and the order in which the early states choose their candidates. Rick Perry, Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann have, largely, bet their campaigns on performing well in Iowa?s caucuses and using that momentum to catapult them through the other early states.
Likewise, to show solidarity with the state where he?s bet his entire candidacy, Jon Huntsman is boycotting Tuesday night?s Las Vegas debate. Bachmann, Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain said they would boycott the Nevada caucus if the matter is not resolved by then. Perry, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul said they would continue to campaign in Nevada.
But if Gardner jumps New Hampshire?s primary ahead of Iowa, he could throw that early momentum advantage to Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who is heavily favored and far ahead in New Hampshire polls.
Iowa?s date had originally been set for Feb. 6. However, following a rush to earlier in the calendar set off by Arizona and Florida selecting earlier dates ? South Carolina and Nevada moved their contests up from February to the second and third Saturdays in January ? Iowa Republicans moved their date earlier to keep the state?s traditional first spot.
Iowa GOP Central Committeeman Drew Ivers said Chairman Matt Strawn told the committee that he?s in regular communication with Gardner and that the two states are working in concert.
?They don?t have any problem with us going on Jan. 3,? Ivers said. ?Now that we set our date, it?s between New Hampshire and Nevada how they want to negotiate.?
Strawn called on Nevada Republicans, who are engaged in a game of primary calendar chicken with New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, to move their caucus back from the scheduled Jan. 14 date, which Gardner has said may require New Hampshire to hold its primary in December.
?I will do everything in my power on the RNC to hold Florida accountable for creating this mess, but the culpability for creating a compressed January calendar does not end there,? Strawn said. ?The actions of early state newcomer Nevada have also exacerbated this problem and unnecessarily crowded the January calendar. Time remains for Nevada to respect the process, honor tradition and rectify the problem in a way that will restore order to the nomination calendar.?
Nevada Republicans? choice of Jan. 14 led to Gardner warning last week that he may schedule the New Hampshire primary in December to abide by state law that requires the primary be held at least seven days before the next ?similar election.?
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