The Colorado caucus is scheduled to take place on February 7. This is the second GOP presidential candidates contest to be held in the western states following Nevada's, which is scheduled three days earlier. Here are some facts and history related to the upcoming event.
* The Associated Press reported that the Republican Central Committee last year approved the state moving up its caucus date from March 6 to February 7 without penalty.
* Some 36 delegates are up for grabs among the Republican presidential candidates.
* According to Free Republic, the delegates will be allocated at the state convention, which is due to take place on April 14.
* This is a closed caucus, meaning that only registered Republicans can participate in the upcoming event. Caucus goers must have been registered as Republicans as of December 7, 2011. Others are welcome to attend as observers only.
* According to a Gallup poll taken in 2011, those surveyed in the state who are Republicans or lean that way edge out those who are Democratic or lean that way by a 43 percent to 42 percent tally.
* The 2008 caucus took place February 5, and saw former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won this contest with 60 percent of the vote; as a result, he won all 43 delegates. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, only got 9 percent support. These two are the only major GOP presidential candidates running this election year that ran four years ago.
* Going back to 1988, then-Vice President George H. W. Bush was the winner of the caucus, but then won the state's primary four years later, according to U.S. News & World Report.
* The 2010 U.S. Census shows that females make up 49.9 percent of the state's population, while the biggest ethic group by far is whites, who make up 81.3 percent of the state's population. Hispanics/Latinos are the largest minority group, making up 20.7 percent, of which "Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories."
