Iowa GOP threatens to move caucuses to Halloween to mess with Democrats
Iowa’s Republican Party chair wants to make it as difficult as possible for national Democrats to dethrone his state from its early perch in the presidential
Iowa’s Republican Party chair wants to make it as difficult as possible for national Democrats to dethrone his state from its early perch in the presidential primary season, even if it means moving the state's caucuses up by several months.
Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann, who also heads the national GOP committee that oversees its presidential schedule, wants both parties in his state to hold their caucuses on the same day, even though there's no rule that mandates they do so.
National Democrats are pursuing an overhaul to their primary schedule, including dropping Iowa amid complaints that it isn’t racially or ethnically diverse and has grown so red it isn’t worth the early investment.
But if a different state were to move into Iowa’s slot for Democrats, Kaufmann said he will make sure he keeps jumping so Iowa’s Republican caucus goes first.
“This is the Democrats that are pulling this crap and I’m telling you right now, they don’t want to play chicken with me. This is pure, progressive, power politics,” Kaufmann told NBC News Friday. Kaufmann’s position could complicate the overall schedule even more since New Hampshire has a law on the books that it has to hold its primary just after Iowa’s caucuses.
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