New Hampshire says Iowa Democrats' new caucus plan would trigger 2024 calendar fight

New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan said Wednesday he would move to preempt Iowa on the presidential nominating calendar if Iowa Democrats go forward with a caucus-by-mail plan.

“New Hampshire has been a strong supporter of the Iowa caucuses and will continue to do so as long as Iowa retains its traditional caucuses as their presidential nominating event,” Scanlan, a Republican, wrote in an email to New Hampshire Republican Party Chair Chris Ager.

Ager shared a screenshot of the email on Twitter.

“However, any change of the caucus format in Iowa that moves in the direction of a primary election, including the use of mail-in or absentee ballots, will trigger New Hampshire’s law protecting our first presidential primary position,” Scanlon wrote.

Although Iowa has long held first-in-the-nation caucuses, New Hampshire has a state law requiring it to hold the nation’s first presidential primaries.

Scanlan’s comments played on Iowa Republicans’ fears that their Democratic counterparts could trigger a calendar fight between the two states if they advance their mail-in caucus proposal.

Exactly how such a fight might play out is complicated.

The Democratic National Committee bumped Iowa and New Hampshire from their traditional lead-off spots on the presidential nominating calendar and threatened each with punitive action if they hold unsanctioned early events. Any candidates who attend unsanctioned events could also be penalized.

New Hampshire leaders have been adamant that they will hold the nation's first primary regardless, and Iowa has suggested it could hold an unsanctioned early event as well.

Neither state has set official dates for their contests.

Last June, after intense criticism for its botched caucuses in 2020, the Iowa Democratic Party put forward a plan to reinvent its caucus process as more inclusive and transparent as national party officials began to rethink the nominating calendar order.

Rather than gathering in person at a specific time and place to caucus for president, Iowa Democrats said they would instead cast “presidential preference cards” by mail in the weeks leading up to Caucus Day and announce the results at the caucus meetings.

More: Iowa Democrats propose major changes to caucuses in bid to remain first-in-the-nation

The plan was not enough to persuade the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee to grant it a spot in the early voting window. Instead, South Carolina will hold the nation’s first Democratic primary contest in 2024.

Still, Iowa Democrats have reiterated their intent to move forward with the revamped caucus procedure.

Republicans, who are set to host the first-in-the-nation GOP caucuses in 2024, had begun warning this week that the Democrats' plan could jeopardize their own efforts to hold onto their place at the front of the presidential nominating calendar.

State Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, introduced legislation Tuesday that would require Iowans to be physically present to participate in the state’s caucuses, potentially thwarting Democrats’ mail-in plan.

Iowa Republicans aren't changing their caucus process, which requires in-person participation.

"If we do mail-in ballot voting as a caucus in Iowa, New Hampshire views that as a primary and they will jump us, which will jeopardize our first-in-the-nation status," Kaufmann, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, said.

More: Iowa GOP advances bill requiring in-person caucusing, pre-registration

A five-member subcommittee advanced the legislation, House Study Bill 245, to the Ways and Means Committee Wednesday, and it will receive a full hearing Thursday.

Democrats on the subcommittee accused Republicans of overreach.

"The Legislature needs to mind their own business on this one," said Rep. Amy Nielsen, D-North Liberty. "This is a party event."

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: New Hampshire: Iowa Democrats' caucus plan will trigger calendar fight