Follow us on

Monday, May 20, 2013 | 10:47 a.m.

Jamie Dupree's Washington Insider

Posted: 1:01 a.m. Monday, Oct. 24, 2011

2012 Schedule Into Focus 

Previous Posts

By Jamie Dupree

The final piece of the 2012 Primary and Caucus schedule could finally fall into place this week, as the stage is set for New Hampshire officials to announce the date of their first-in-the-nation primary.

Over the weekend, officials in Nevada gave in after weeks of growing pressure from both the Granite State and national Republican officials, moving the Nevada Caucus back to February 4.

That should allow New Hampshire to pick January 10 for that state's primary, one week after Iowa's Caucus.

That would give us the following schedule in January:

  • Iowa - January 3
  • New Hampshire - January 10
  • South Carolina - January 21
  • Florida - January 31

    Florida caused all of this scheduling trouble by moving their primary into January, which might cost the state some of their delegates at the national party conventions later this year.

    Four years ago, Democratic candidates didn't even campaign in Florida because of the hornet's nest stirred up by the early primary date in 2008; no one in the GOP has been talking about a campaign boycott this time in Florida, though they did in Nevada.

    Remember last week, the Las Vegas debate was boycotted by Jon Huntsman, who said the Caucus date in the Silver State was too close to where New Hampshire needed to hold its primary.

    While other GOP candidates did not join Huntsman in boycotting the debate, several had said they would not come back to Nevada to campaign.

    That plus some public and private lobbying by national Republican officials convinced the state GOP to move the caucus back into February.

    So, if the New Hampshire Secretary of State can just set that primary in stone, I can start making my plane and hotel reservations.

    Iowa is ten weeks from tomorrow.

     

  • Jamie Dupree

    About Jamie Dupree

    Jamie Dupree is the Radio News Director of the Washington Bureau of the Cox Media Group and writes the Washington Insider blog.

    Connect with Jamie Dupree on:TwitterFacebook

    Send Jamie Dupree an email.

     
    Featured Articles
    Ads By Google
     

    Washington Insider

    Jamie Dupree

    Jamie Dupree's Washington Insider Blog

    Jamie Dupree is WFTV's Washington insider. He's blogging throughout the day, so check back often for updates, and be sure to catch him each weekday, live on Eyewitness News at noon.

    Jamie Dupree Video Reports

    League of Women Voters

    League of Women Voters

    Check your voter status

    Florida's election laws have changed. Check your voter status, and more on a site provided by the League of Women Voters of Florida Education Fund.

    Be Ready to Vote

    Be Ready to Vote

    Be Ready to Vote

    Update your voter registration by scanning BeReadyToVote.org's QR Code. If you have a QR code app on your smartphone, updating your registration is just a quick scan away.