The Republican National Committee (RNC) has officially announced that Republicans in Iowa will caucus on January 15, 2024.
The move will ignite a flurry of activity as the early states, such as New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina, will now set their dates accordingly based on the newly-released Iowa plan.
As noted by Politico, the date selected is MLK Jr. Day, making it a federal holiday:
Next year’s Iowa Republican presidential caucuses will be held in mid-January, about three weeks earlier than the past two primary cycles, state GOP officials announced Saturday.
The first-in-the-nation caucuses will take place on Jan. 15, 2024, following a vote from Iowa’s state Republican Party central committee. Jan. 15, a Monday, is a federal holiday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
That’s earlier than in both 2020 and 2016, when the caucuses were held on the first Monday in February. But it’s about two weeks later than 2012 and 2008, when the caucuses were held just two days after New Year’s Day.
Iowa’s move — combined with Democrats’ efforts to remake their early-state order to begin with South Carolina — means the New Hampshire primary will most likely be held on Tuesday, Jan. 23, eight days after the Iowa caucuses.
The race will shift a little earlier than in previous cycles where voting was mostly pushed off until February.
What’s still unknown is how efforts among Democrats to re-order their primary calendar, putting South Carolina at the front instead of Iowa, will ultimately affect the way things unfold in 2024.
If Joe Biden remains the Democratic nominee, then the Democratic primary calendar changes won’t amount to much, but that’s another story.
However, back to the GOP primary calendar which is sticking by the historical precedent of letting Iowa vote first followed by New Hampshire, Nevada, and then South Carolina before breaking open the dam on Super Tuesday.
For Republican candidates, the first-in-the-nation caucus status of Iowa once again means the state will have a tremendous impact on the race, especially this year. Candidates have already been spending a lot of time in the state, crisscrossing the 99 counties and making those face-the-face personal connections.
Iowa is one state where a Trump challenger, such as DeSantis, is hoping to upend the process and the assumed dominance of the former president. Remember, Trump lost the Iowa caucus in 2016 so he’s perceived to be more vulnerable there than somewhere like New Hampshire or South Carolina.
Ultimately, Trump’s still 30 points ahead in Iowa as of today but voting is still six months away.
Follow the 2024 Primary Schedule for full details and an updated list of primary date changes.
