Iowa GOP Chairman Says Pressure’s On to Get ’24 Iowa Caucuses Right
(Radio Iowa) The Iowa GOP’s chairman says there will be layer upon layer of safeguards for voting in the 2024 Iowa Republican Party’s Caucuses that will kick off the GOP’s presidential campaign.
“Any system we use will have multiple checks and it will be open to anyone in the media, any Republican to take a look at it,” Kaufmann says. Jeff Kaufmann was just re-elected to another term as chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. He also led the party during the 2016 and 2020 Iowa Caucuses.
“We’re going to be aware of all the shenanigans that can potentially occur, especially if it’s just the GOP,” Kaufmann says. “We all know if it’s just the GOP Caucuses, there’s going to be a lot more people interested in the GOP not being able to get this right.” The Democratic National Committee voted earlier this month to replace the Iowa Democratic Party’s Caucuses and have the South Carolina Primary kick-off voting as Democrats select a presidential nominee. Kaufmann says he’s not ready to give up on Iowa Democrats somehow getting that decision reversed. However, Kaufmann has assembled a committee to consider what needs to happen to ensure an Iowa voter doesn’t participate in the Iowa G-O-P’s Caucuses AND in the Democratic Party’s Caucuses, if they’re not on the same night.
“We are having conversations about that very potential problem,” Kaufmann says, “and that would not be in the spirit of the Caucuses and we are searching for solutions.” Kaufmann says the pressure’s on because there will be Republicans in other states lobbying to end the Iowa GOP’s first-in-the-nation status if something goes wrong here next year.
“We are working overtime and have been in terms of how to make sure that this Caucus, that’s entirely funded by the party unlike a primary — taxpayer dollars don’t go into this and making it right and making sure the country and the 168 (Republican National Committee) members know…we can handle this,” Kaufmann says. “And we will.” Kaufmann made his comments during this weekend’s “Iowa Press” program on Iowa PBS.