The Iowa GOP announced on Saturday that it would hold its first Republican presidential caucus in the country on January 15, 2024, launching the party’s bid for the White House a little earlier than recent nomination fights.
In a statement, Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said the party is “committed to maintaining Iowa’s most beloved caucuses, and looks forward to holding a historic caucus in the months to come and defeat Joe Biden in November 2024.”
The support campaign in Iowa is already well underway: former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Miami Mayor Francis Saura and radio host Larry Elder all appeared at campaign events in Iowa last week.
Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis also held her first solo public event in Johnston, Iowa, on Thursday, alongside Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Ron DeSantis and other Republicans who regularly attended. in the state in recent months.
Kaufmann, who spoke to caucus reporters on Saturday afternoon on a Zoom call,
Republicans are keeping the same general framework for their 2024 primaries that they have used in recent years, with Iowa followed by the New Hampshire primary, then Nevada and South Carolina completing the list of early voting states in the GOP.
Because Iowa’s caucuses are party-driven, the state’s GOP decision has no bearing on the Democratic contest in Iowa. The Democratic National Committee’s decision to change its primary schedule means Iowa Democrats are on the verge of losing their number one status in the nation, following the party’s longstanding concerns about diversity in the state. and problems with the vote count in 2020.
The DNC’s new schedule makes South Carolina’s primary the party’s first approved nominating contest in 2024, followed later by New Hampshire and Nevada on the same day. But intraparty fighting in some states and Republican control in others make it difficult to implement the DNC’s preferred timetable.
Kaufmann, who spoke to reporters from the caucuses on Saturday afternoon in a Zoom call, accused President Joe Biden of compromising Iowa’s status as first in the nation and said “Biden made a thumbing your nose at the Iowa Democrats and Iowans.”
“Regardless, Iowa Democrats are committed to advancing the most inclusive caucus process in Iowa history,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart. , in his own statement. “We are committed to doing what’s right for Democrats, what’s right for Iowa, and what’s right for democracy.”
Kaufmann also said, when asked why GOP caucuses would be held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, that “we see this as a tribute to the legacy of Martin Luther King.”
This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com