Earlier tonight, the Republican Party of Iowa's State Central Committee voted to hold its first-in-the-nation caucus on the evening of January 3, 2008.

"With under 80 days to go, this is a huge help to our counties and county chairs to get the ball rolling and start organizing.  They have 1,784 precinct caucus meetings to run, thousands of volunteers to recruit and our presidential candidates deserve a set date," said Executive Director Chuck Laudner.  "This is a definitive year for Iowa, and it is crucial that RPI, the State Central Committee and our county organizations run a smooth, successful caucus."

The Republican Party of Iowa will continue to communicate and work with the Iowa Democratic Party over the coming months to plan the Iowa Caucuses and ensure we maintain our first-in-the-nation status.