Iowa and New Hampshire Again Earn Their First-in-the-Nation Status
Record turn out in both states further legitimizes traditional role
Des Moines, Iowa – Record numbers of Iowans of both political parties turned out for the state’s first-in-the-nation Caucus on January 3rd. On Tuesday this week, voters in New Hampshire mirrored Iowa for their first-in-the-nation Primary.
“You can see, measure, and quantify the legitimacy of the presidential selection process with this unprecedented participation in Iowa and New Hampshire,” stated Chuck Laudner, executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa. “The electorate in these two lead-off states overwhelmingly earned their first-in-the-nation status.”
Critics of the present process often cite low participation in their arguments for change. “Nearly 400,000 Iowans and 500,000 residents of New Hampshire spoke loud and clear,” Laudner explained. “In Iowa specifically, one in four eligible voters made their voice heard on Caucus night.”
As many states attempted to leap-frog ahead of Iowa and New Hampshire, the lead-off Caucus and Primary were moved forward as well. “Iowans evaluate the line-up of candidates, then set their own personal batting order,” Laudner observed. “We expect to meet the candidates, shake their hands, and ask them about their positions on the issues. To move away from this retail style of politics would harm the nation.”
If campaigns were to focus first on higher population centers on the nation’s coasts, candidates’ interaction with voters would be limited to placing advertisements and holding rallies in huge arenas, Laudner observed. “The nation deserves better of the person seeking to be their Commander-in-Chief,” he said.
Moving ahead, the strong turn out of voters in both Iowa and New Hampshire is expected to solidify their status. “Our mission as the Republican Party of Iowa will be to emphasize our qualifications, performance, and willingness to do the hard work of being first-in-the nation,” Laudner concluded. “Iowans never walk away from hard work – the Caucus included.”
