GOP keeps Iowa’s First in the Nation status for presidential nominations

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Iowa is maintaining its First in the Nation status with the national Republicans.

Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann says the state will keep its First in the Nation status through 2028.

This follows the Republican National Committee’s Rules Committee meeting Thursday in Dallas, Texas.

This is the first time in years that Iowa will only be the first to nominate a presidential candidate with the Republican party.

The national Democrat party previously also had Iowa at the top of its list, but voted this year to remove the state’s status it had held for 50 years.

“As Chair of the RNC’s Presidential Nominating Process Committee, I led the effort to keep Iowa first and protect the carve-out system,” Kaufmann said in a statement. “Democrats may have abandoned Iowa, but Republicans under President Trump and RNC Chairman [Joe] Gruters are committed to ensuring the Iowa Caucuses remain a defining part of the presidential nominating process.”

With the state’s status divided between parties, Iowa will likely see two caucuses in 2028.