Emblem of the Iowa state flag
Via Politico:
Iowa Republican leaders have tentatively agreed to hold their caucus on Jan. 3, leaving New Hampshire as the only unsettled piece of the presidential nominating schedule.
Members of the party’s state central committee reached a consensus agreement on the date during a Thursday night conference call. The official date — which could still change — will not be finalized until the state central committee meets later this month, likely on Oct. 16 or 17, and state party Chairman Matt Strawn signs off.
Iowa Republicans still hope to hold their vote before New Hampshire’s primary. But New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, in an interview with POLITICO earlier this week, has not ruled out setting his state’s primary in December or before Iowa’s caucus.
New Hampshire won't finalize its date until later this month, so it'll be a little while before we know if Iowa remains first, or if the Granite State jumps to the head of the pack. But until we see the final schedule, right now it's hard to say whether this move does anything beyond ruin a whole bunch of reporters' New Year's Eve plans.