Natalie Gonnella
Although 2012 is still a field of speculation for the GOP, the debate over party caucus dates is in full swing among party officials. With Florida currently set to hold its primary in January, obscuring the traditional electoral calendar, Republicans in both Iowa and New Hampshire have spoken out in response, threatening to move their own primaries forward to ensure they remain among the first.
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad told CNN:
We did it last time. We will do it again. We will be first and New Hampshire will be after us. We will work them on whatever we have to do...
Branstad added:
Far be it for me to tell Florida what to do. But we are committed to being the first contest in the country. We have moved it before and we will do it again.
And New Hampshire insists they aren't going to relinquish their calendar position either, as former Senator John E. Sununu said in the Boston Globe today:
As the Republican and Democratic leaders in states like Florida or Michigan contemplate a new primary date to grab a little spotlight, they should first think long and hard. New Hampshire’s unique tradition, size, and engagement create value for voters nationwide by putting candidates to the test and revealing the results for all to see in real time in an age of digital media. They should also be wary of another very basic truth: we will hold the primary whenever we need to in order to be first. In fact, the New Hampshire legislature — which happens to be Republican — has invested our secretary of state — who happens to be a Democrat — with the power to set the election on any day he chooses in order to maintain that status. We’ll hold it on New Year’s Eve, or the week before Christmas, or Thanksgiving Day. And voter participation, interest, and turnout will be just as high as ever.
While the Republican National Committee wants Florida to move its primary date to accomodate the traditional position of Iowa and New Hampshire at the start of the polling calendar, state Republicans have pushed for the January date to remain, which for the moment, leaves the entire 2012 calendar as provisional as the candidates.
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