AP
7/8/23
Iowa Republicans say the party’s presidential nominating caucuses will be held Jan. 15, on the federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
That announcement Saturday puts the first votes of the 2024 election a little more than six months away as the GOP tries to reclaim the White House. White House candidates have campaigned in Iowa since last winter, but there has been some uncertainty about the date for the caucuses that have by tradition kicked off the Republican selection process for a nominee. What’s changed is the Democratic National Committee’s election calendar, dropping Iowa as its first contest.
The Iowa Republican Party’s state central committee voted unanimously for the third Monday in January — a date that is earlier by several weeks than the past three caucuses, though not as early as 2008, when they were held just three days into the new year.
Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann, during a call with reporters later, reported that the vote was unanimous and that he “never sensed that there was anyone even thinking about voting no” to the proposed date.
Kaufmann said he considered choosing the date a way to honor Dr. King’s legacy.