With Iowa Republicans scheduling their first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses for Jan. 15, 2024, it’s now New Hampshire’s move.
While it’s likely the Granite State will set its 2020 presidential primary eight days after the Hawkeye Cauci, it’s still very much a fluid situation. In the words of the Facebook relationship status, “it’s complicated.”
“No one should be under the illusion that these dates are set in stone,” said Dave Nagle, a former Iowa congressman who previously served as chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party.
Unlike in Iowa, New Hampshire’s secretary of state, not the parties, is charged with setting the state’s presidential primary date. Like Iowa’s caucus statute, New Hampshire state law demands the Granite State hold the nation’s first primary of the nominating season.
But the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has other plans. In February, the committee voted to make South Carolina first, pushing New Hampshire and Iowa out of the opening nominating positions. Committee members want a more “diverse” state to lead the process.
The New Hampshire Democratic Party chairman has told the national collective to go pound sand: New Hampshire will go first.
Jimmy Thompson, spokesman for the Republican Party of New Hampshire, told The Star News Network that since the parties don’t decide the primary schedule the state GOP does not have a comment on the matter. He did say the DNC has a history of attacking the state’s primary status.
“In 2020, Joe Biden abandoned the Granite State. Now, the DNC is holding Biden’s water, attacking our First in the Nation status for the sole purpose of supporting a candidate that cannot answer for the hardships he has put the people through,” Thompson said in a statement. “New Hampshire will continue its tradition as Joe Biden adds another political embarrassment to this disaster of a presidency.”
“It’s beyond messy,” Arnie Arnesen, radio host for WNHN in New Hampshire, told WGBH News’ Under the Radar. “…[W]hen the DNC made this decision to reward South Carolina and make South Carolina first on February 3, and then New Hampshire and Nevada on February 6, that might have been fine for the DNC, but it doesn’t work in New Hampshire.”
“And let me also remind you that even if we wanted to change it, the Democrats have no capacity to change it because the Republicans control the executive branch and the legislative branch, and they’re not going to change the law because they know they make us miserable.”
Add to the mess the fact that, while the Democratic Party of Iowa looks like it wants to play ball with the DNC, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds recently signed a bill into law requiring Iowa’s caucuses be held in person. Iowa Democrats had come up with a mail-in preference vote for its caucuses, with results to be released on the DNC’s schedule.
But that would look a lot like a primary, which would be a rejection of Iowa’s quaint format of voters meeting at schools, churches, restaurants and homes to argue for their candidates over the course of a winter’s evening.
It might look a little too much like a primary for New Hampshire’s comfort, said Nagle, a living encyclopaedia on Iowa’s caucuses. Iowa caucuses typically have been held as early as the beginning of January to the opening weeks of February. Iowa has had to hold back or move back its caucus dates based on moves from other states challenging the Hawkeye State’s coveted first-nominating position.
“We remain committed to maintaining Iowa’s cherished First-in-the-Nation Caucuses, and look forward to holding a historic caucus in the coming months and defeating Joe Biden come November 2024,” said Iowa GOP chairman Jeff Kaufmann.
While Nagle said things appear to be a little more settled for Republicans this year, Iowa should take nothing for granted.
“Iowa better be prepared to move or you will lose your treasured status,” Nagle said. “More than one party chair has asked me, ‘When is it over?’ The answer is, it’s never over.”
“It’s never late in Iowa until the week before the caucus,” he said.
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M.D. Kittle is the National Political Editor for The Star News Network.
Photo “The Iowa Caucus 2020” by Rbreidbrown CC4.0
