GOP changes rule to shorten Presidental Primary Season for 2012- Election 2012

GOP, Election 2012, Presidential Primary, Politics

FROM: http://thehill.com

The presidential primary season will be set for a later start in 2012 given the new calendar approved by members of the Republican National Committee (RNC) on Friday.

Rule changes to which the committee agreed are also likely to significantly alter the way the party selects its presidential nominee.

At its summer meeting in St. Louis, the RNC moved the Iowa caucuses, the traditional kick-off to the nomination season, to the first Monday in February. That would be followed by the first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire and then primaries in South Carolina and Nevada.

Under the new rules, no other states are permitted to hold their primaries before February.

The re-working of the calendar was aimed at bringing some stability to the process, which saw many states move up their primary dates in 2008 in an attempt to wield more influence over the race.

Iowa’s 2008 caucuses were held on Jan. 3, which meant most staffers and candidates traded in their holidays for the snowy Iowa campaign trail.