PRESS RELEASE from Iowa Republican Party
October 17, 2011
Iowa GOP Chair Strawn: First in the Nation Iowa Caucuses Set for January 3
Des Moines – Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn tonight made the following statement after the Party’s State Central Committee approved a motion to hold Iowa’s First in the Nation Precinct Caucuses on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. (Iowa time).

“On behalf of over 600,000 Iowa Republicans, I’m excited to announce the first step Iowans will have to replace Barack Obama and his failed presidency will be next January 3 at our First in the Nation Iowa Caucuses,” said Strawn. “A January 3 date provides certainty to the voters, to our presidential candidates, and to the thousands of statewide volunteers who make the Caucus process a reflection of the very best of our representative democracy.”

Iowa’s precinct caucuses, which occur at over 1,700 precinct locations across the Hawkeye state, are best-known for the presidential preference poll that occurs along with traditional party organizing activities such as the election of precinct committeemen and platform discussions.

Strawn noted that the decision to hold the precinct caucuses on January 3 mirrored the decision made by Iowa Republican and Democrat officials during the 2008 presidential cycle when Iowa held the First in the Nation Caucuses on January 3 and New Hampshire held the First in the Nation Primary on January 8, 2008.

Strawn noted this process is best served with Iowa and New Hampshire continuing in lead-off roles as the First in the Nation Caucus and First in the Nation Primary, respectively. He said, “At a time when more and more Americans feel disconnected from our national leaders, we need places like Iowa and New Hampshire that require those who seek to lead us, actually meet us, look us in the eye and listen to our hopes and concerns for our families and our Nation.”

Strawn also expressed solidarity with his counterparts in New Hampshire, “I will do everything in my power on the RNC to hold Florida accountable for creating this mess, but the culpability for creating a compressed January calendar does not end there. The actions of early state newcomer Nevada have also exacerbated this problem and unnecessarily crowded the January calendar. Time remains for Nevada to respect the process, honor tradition and rectify the problem in a way that will restore order to the nomination calendar.
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PRESS RELEASE from Iowa Democratic Party
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, October 20, 2011

CONTACT: Sam Roecker, IDP Communications Director

State Central Committee Sets Democratic Caucus Date, Issues Official Caucus and Convention Call

DES MOINES – In a telephonic meeting, members of the Iowa Democratic Party’s State Central Committee voted unanimously tonight to hold the 2012 Iowa Democratic Caucuses on January 3rd, 2012, beginning at 6:30 PM and called to order at 7:00 PM. The party has issued the official caucus and convention call.
 
“On January 3rd, Democrats from across the state will stand by President Obama as Iowa kicks off the 2012 election,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky. “The Iowa Democratic Party has already begun aggressively organizing around our First in the Nation Caucuses, and this will be an opportunity for supporters to get involved in the political process.”
 
With the precinct caucuses set for January 3rd, the county conventions are set for March 10th, 2012, district conventions on April 28th, 2012, and the state convention on June 16th, 2012. The Iowa Democratic Party has already launched TheCaucuses.com and an iPhone application where Iowa Democrats are encouraged to Commit to Caucus in 2012 and learn more about the process.
 
“Now that we have a caucus date set, we will continue to organize and work with our Democratic leaders across the state to prepare for this important event,” added Dvorsky. 
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