A lawmaker in Arizona has proposed legislation that would move the state’s 2016 presidential primary to the same day as the Iowa Caucuses, the Arizona Daily Star reported Thursday.
The move would force Iowa to share its “first-in-the-nation” status in the presidential nomination contest, a distinction the Hawkeye State has long treated as sacred. Rep. Phil Lovas (R) of Peoria, Ariz. said his bill would guarantee that the state’s primary would be held on the opening day of the nomination process. If Iowa were to move its caucuses to an earlier day, Lovas’ legislation would ensure that the Arizona’s primary does the same.
“Quite frankly, for 40-plus years Iowa and New Hampshire have helped essentially determine who is or who is not the nominee for both parties,” Lovas said. “And I feel as though Arizona voters are being disenfranchised.”
