Governor Chet Culver says he’ll meet privately this weekend with New Hampshire’s governor to discuss the timing of Iowa’s Caucuses and New Hampshire’s Primary.
The two events have historically been the first tests in presidential campaigns, but New Hampshire officials are upset with Democrats for scheduling caucuses in the state of Nevada the Saturday after Iowa’s Caucuses — and before New Hampshire’s traditional Tuesday primary. That means New Hampshire’s Secretary of State may move the New Hampshire Primary ahead — before even Iowa’s Caucuses. That would force Iowa officials to consider whether to move the Iowa Caucuses even earlier.
Governor Culver says he’s prepared to bring the Iowa Legislature back in "special session" in November or even December to ensure that Iowa’s Caucuses are first. "The challenge is that you have the Secretary of State in New Hampshire who literally gets to pick any date that he wants," Culver says. "So we’re just going to stay in constant communication with all of the leaders in New Hampshire, including Secretary Gardner, and I’m confident that we’ll work this out."
Culver will meet with New Hampshire’s governor this Saturday in Washington, D.C. to discuss the matter. This afternoon (Monday), Culver will meet with Iowans who serve on the Democratic National Committee to coordinate a strategy for keeping Iowa’s Caucuses first-in-the-nation.
"We’ll do what we have to do to keep the (Iowa) Caucus first," Culver says.