Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann is leading a committee that will help determine whether the Iowa Republican Party’s Caucuses are the first event in the 2028 presidential election.
Kaufmann said got “a direct message from President Trump” that Trump wanted him to lead the Republican National Committee’s review of the presidential nominating process. “Obviously he trust me to handle the process, but I also think this is a huge weighing in of his opinion that our carve out system, indeed, is working,” Kaufmann said.
Since 1980, Iowa has hosted the lead-off voting event as Republicans choose a presidential nominee. New Hampshire holds the nation’s first presidential primary, followed by caucuses in Nevada and then the South Carolina Presidential Primary. Kaufmann guided the same panel four years ago that recommended that line up in 2024. Kaufmann calls it the “carve out system” for Iowa and the three other states.
“I just don’t believe that I would be asked to head up a commission unless there was a great deal of support for my state,” Kaufmann said, “and, more importantly, for the carve out system.”
Kaufmann released a written statement today announcing Trump and RNC chairman Joe Gruters had asked him to lead the RNC’s Presidential Nominating Process Committee. Kaufmann said he’s proud Iowa “continues to play a leading role in defining what it means to be a Republican” and he said the style of campaigning in Iowa ensures candidates hear the voices of grassroots voters.
“Most of the key people who are likely to run for president have already been here,” Kaufmann said during a Radio Iowa interview, “and every single one of them have, without hesitation, stated that they believe it belongs here.”
It’s likely the Republican National Committee will vote next year and confirm the dates for states to hold voting contests in the 2024 presidential election. The Democratic National Committee kicked the Iowa Democratic Party’s Caucuses out of the lead-off spot in the 2024 presidential campaign, but some key Iowa Democrats are pushing for their party to hold presidential Caucuses in 2028 before Democrats in other states vote — no matter what the national party says.