Caucuses expected to survive GOP calendar changes

By James Q. Lynch

The Gazette

Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses are likely to survive Republican plans to change the 2012 primary/caucus calendar, according to an Iowan on the panel.

“All is well,” according to Brian Kennedy of Bettendorf, who sits on a 15-member Republican National Committee panel looking at how to avoid the frontloading that occurred in 2008 as states rushed to schedule their primaries earlier. In response to those moves, Iowa scheduled its caucuses Jan. 3.

Kennedy added an asterisk, reminding Iowans to be “ever vigilant” in protecting its place at the start of the presidential nomination process.

Iowa Republican National Committeeman Steve Scheffler and Executive Director Jeff Boeyink agreed Iowa's lead-off status will be safe.

 “Never say never,” Boeyink said, “but we're pretty optimistic our place is secure.”

The focus of the discussion has moved beyond Iowa to what comes after it, Kennedy said after Monday's meeting in Washington.

“Everyone has their parochial issues, but I think they've decided it's a fight not worth waging,” Kennedy said. “There's a recognition you have to have a broad consensus to get a two-thirds vote of the RNC. If you do something as dramatic as changing Iowa and New Hampshire, that might make it difficult to achieve the two-thirds.

Under party rules, New Hampshire and South Carolina are guaranteed to go ahead of other states that select delegates in their primaries and caucuses. That rule doesn't address Iowa because caucus-goers do not directly select delegates who ultimately vote on a presidential nominee.

“We're focus on timing of the process as opposed to the timing of individual states,” Kennedy said. In 2008, the Iowa, New Hampshire and South Caroline were followed by what was, in effect, a national primary in early February, “and there's concern that's not healthy for the process,” he said.

“We've probably looked at every proposition made over the last decade,” Kennedy said, including holding a series of primaries or regional primaries or a national primary where Republicans would vote for their top three choices to narrow the field. Nothing has been ruled out, but he senses little interest in upsetting the Iowa-New Hampshire-South Carolina applecart.

The committee hopes to make a recommendation to the RNC at its summer meeting.