Feb 7, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Trump says Iowa, New Hampshire will vote first "as long as I am President"

Fadel Allassan

President Trump tweeted on Friday that "Iowa and New Hampshire will not be moved from the Primary Schedule as long as I am President," a decision he does not actually have direct control over.

Why it matters: Critics have argued Iowa and New Hampshire are not demographically representative of the entire nation, and some have called for a change to the primary order. February's presidential primaries and caucuses in four small states contribute 155 pledged delegates of the 3,979 Democratic total, giving early voting states "an outsized role in the narratives that can determine the eventual nominee," the Washington Post notes.

"Taken together, though, the unique qualities of each [state] mean several key blocs of voters get at least one opportunity to have an outsized role in the early nomination process," the Post writes.

The state of play: Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez called for a recanvass in Iowa in light of software malfunctions and other issues that have caused a delay in the results from Monday's caucuses.

Reality check: It is unclear what Trump is suggesting he would do to preserve the tradition — which he has no direct control over.

State and local governments manage their own primary elections, while caucuses are run by respective political parties.

Go deeper: Iowa's hanging chads

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Trump says Iowa, New Hampshire will vote first "as long as I am President"

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