Iowa GOP schedules Jan. 15 for leadoff presidential caucuses. It’s on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Iowa Republicans person scheduled the party's statesmanlike nominating caucuses for Jan. 15, 2024, putting the archetypal votes of the adjacent predetermination a small much than six months away.

The Iowa Republican Party's authorities cardinal committee voted unanimously Saturday to clasp the leadoff contests connected the 3rd Monday successful January — connected the Martin Luther King Jr. Day national holiday.

Though Republican statesmanlike candidates person been campaigning successful Iowa since past winter, determination has been immoderate uncertainty astir erstwhile the accepted leadoff contests would beryllium held. That is partially owed to the Democratic National Committee's reshuffling of its calendar and dropping Iowa arsenic its archetypal contest.

The GOP day is earlier by respective weeks than the past 3 Iowa caucuses, though not arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2008, erstwhile they were held conscionable 3 days into the caller year.

Caucuses, dissimilar superior elections, are contests planned, financed and carried retired by the parties, not authorities predetermination officials. The Iowa announcement Saturday allows New Hampshire, which has not acceptable a superior predetermination day yet, to support its first-in-the-nation status, which is codified successful authorities instrumentality that requires that contention beryllium held astatine slightest 7 days up of immoderate different primary.

Last month, South Carolina Republicans adopted Feb. 24 arsenic the day for the accepted archetypal Southern primary, leaving plentifulness of clip for Nevada to docket its Republican caucuses without crowding New Hampshire.

"We stay committed to maintaining Iowa's cherished first-in-the-nation caucuses, and look guardant to holding a historical caucus successful the coming months and defeating Joe Biden travel November 2024," Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said successful a statement.

Saturday's determination could person implications for some parties due to the fact that Iowa Democrats had been waiting connected the state's Republican Party to acceptable its caucus day arsenic they effort to set to caller DNC rules connected the bid of the 2024 statesmanlike primary.

Iowa Democrats person projected holding a caucus connected the aforesaid time arsenic the state's Republicans and allowing participants to ballot for president via mail-in ballot. But Iowa Democrats person said they whitethorn not instantly merchandise the results.

That could let the authorities enactment to inactive clasp the first-in-the-nation caucus without defying a caller superior calendar endorsed by President Joe Biden and approved by the DNC that calls for South Carolina to regenerate Iowa successful the leadoff spot and footwear disconnected superior voting connected Feb. 3.