The national Republican Party’s efforts to avoid the super-early caucus and primary contests that occurred for both parties in the 2008 cycle — when the Iowa caucuses were held just three days into the new year, and the New Hampshire primary five days after that — are being up-ended by a state that has driven much of the hard-line national conservative agenda in recent years: Arizona.
On Monday, Gov. Jan Brewer (R) issued a proclamation that the state’s presidential primary would be held on February 28, in accordance with the existing state law.
The problem: RNC rules for the new cycle command that no state can hold its contest before March 6, other than the selected early venues of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
Brewer had previously considered placing the election even earlier, in January, but has now decided to stick with late February — which is still not in defiance of RNC rules.
As such, Brewer’s move is already triggering a backlash from the officially sanctioned early states, who could move up their primaries and caucuses if the situation is not resolved amicably.
“We’re not going to share our date with anybody,” South Carolina GOP chairman Chad Connelly told Politico. “Especially, not with any state that violates the rules.”
“Rules are rules,” Connelly also added. “All this drama didn’t need to be created. I think it’s totally an unnecessary distraction, and I don’t think the RNC’s going to look kindly on the states that are considering breaking the rules.”
Could this have a further impact on the earliest contest — the Iowa caucuses, currently scheduled for February 6?
“It’s too early to assess the impact,” Iowa GOP chairman Matt Strawn told the Des Moines Register. “The question remains whether that will force other states to move up and that would then bump us forward. We don’t know the answer to that yet.”
