Iowa Democrats set caucus date for Jan. 15, matching Republicans

Iowa Democrats voted on Saturday to hold their 2024 caucuses on Jan. 15, the same day as Republicans.

The date fills in one detail as the party works to plan its calendar and presidential nominating contest after being booted from being the first-in-the-nation presidential nominating contest by the national party earlier this year.

The date also falls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday.

Under the party’s proposal, the caucuses would only be a party organizing meeting, while the presidential preference count that has historically put the caucuses in the national spotlight will be held via a mail-in process at a different time.

The party has not settled on the dates for the mail-in presidential preference window. To be in line with the national party’s rules, the mail-in process would need to be held after the other early states have held their primaries.

National Democrats earlier this year reshaped their presidential nominating calendar, removing Iowa from the group of early states. Democrats set South Carolina as the first nominating contest, though primary conflicts in early states mean the calendar still is in question.

The state party's plan also will need to be approved by the national party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee. The committee found Democrats’ previous delegate selection plan, which did not include a caucus date, non-compliant in June.

Iowa caucuses set for MLK Jr. Day

Democrats on Saturday criticized the Republican Party for setting the date on Martin Luther King Jr. Day while enacting policies they said were contrary to King’s message.

The move makes Democrats’ party organizing caucuses in line with the Republican caucuses next year, where Iowa will be the first state to tally support for presidential candidates in the GOP primary. Republicans set Jan. 15 as their caucus date in July.

Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann said in July the party sees its caucuses as “honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King,” but he said the holiday was not the primary reason for the date being chosen.

“Iowa Republicans have no claim to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy and in fact couldn’t even be bothered to mention his name in their caucus date announcement,” said Al Womble, the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party Black Caucus. "We will not allow them to erase the importance of this day. We are indebted to Dr. King’s work and sacrifice and owe it to his memory to stand up for what’s just and right."

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said the party will “live up to Dr. King’s legacy” and the caucuses will be the most inclusive in history.

"While Iowa Republicans continue to add barriers to the ballot box, the reimagined Iowa caucuses will be the most inclusive process in history and our leaders in Black and Brown communities will guide us every step of the way,” Hart said in a statement.

In a statement, Kaufmann defended the date selection and called Democrats’ criticisms disingenuous.

“The Republican Party of Iowa is committed to honoring the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by calling for true grassroots democracy in action on MLK Day,” Kaufmann said.

Iowa Republicans have said Democrats’ mail-in presidential selection plan could risk Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status because it would prompt New Hampshire to schedule its primary ahead of Iowa’s caucuses — for both Democrats and Republicans.

Republican lawmakers passed a law this year, led by Kaufmann’s son Rep. Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton, to require state parties to hold in-person caucuses if the purpose of the caucus is to tally support for presidential candidates.

Plan needs national approval

The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, which will need to approve the Democrats’ presidential preference plan, was scheduled to discuss the plan on Thursday but delayed it until a later meeting.

“We are continuing to work with the Iowa Democratic Party to navigate a system that complies with our calendar,” James Roosevelt, the committee’s co-chair, said Thursday.