RNC Threatens to Penalize NH for Early Primary

Republicans want New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner to schedule the Granite State’s primary late enough to avoid forcing Iowa to put its caucus in December. And if he doesn’t heed the advice, the Republican National Committee is threatening to revoke New Hampshire’s status as the first primary state in the country, The Hill reports.

Gardner, an independent, is the only one who decides on the state’s primary date. A spokesman says he doesn’t plan to issue a decision before next week.

Florida has put the party’s primary/caucus schedule in disarray by scheduling its own primary for Jan. 31 in violation of party rules.

That pushed the four early states — Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada — to move up their contests. South Carolina has slotted its primary for Jan. 21, and Nevada has opted to convene its caucus on Jan. 14.