IA Wins, NH Doesn't
ShareThe Hotline's Nora McAlvanah reports: A Democratic commission took the first step toward dramatically revising their nomination calender today, voting to recommend that the party add caucuses before New Hampshire's primary and suggesting that more be scheduled the week after.
Iowa's first in the nation caucus status survived, and its committee representatives declared victory.
But New Hampshire's worst fears were realized. The state still gets to hold the nation's first primary, but if the new calendar survives a vote of the rules and bylaws committee and the full DNC, its influence will almost certainly decline.
A last minute amendment by committee member Maria Echaveste to scrape the pre-window period only garnered nine votes, but it prompted the commission to debate the entire history and benefits and drawbacks of holding IA and NH first.
Iowa's two commission members, Roxanne Conlin and Jerry Crawford, called the vote a "great victory" for the states.
The two proposed a calendar that hold start with the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 14, followed by a caucus in a Western or southern swing state on Jan. 22, followed by NH on Jan. 29, and another caucus or primary on Feb. 2.
The rules and bylaws committee meets in mid-Feb to vote whether to forward the commission's proposals to the full Democratic National Committee.
So we ask: do candidates who might have thought about skipping IA now reconsider? Is IA even more important in terms of momentum and media expectations? Does this make it harder -- or easier -- for Vilsack to set expectations for IA if he runs? Will Mike Stratton's CO "caucus" be endorsed by the rules and bylaws committee? [MARC AMBINDER]
Advertisement
Join the Discussion