First in the Nation in the 2024 Presidential Election

The Iowa Republican caucuses, set for January 15, mark the first significant test of the 2024 Republican presidential field. Caucus-goers will gather in community locations, at 7 pm local time. The caucuses are overseen by the state parties, not the state government. These in-person gatherings offer a unique experience, fostering neighborly discussions about the candidates before casting a private ballot, somewhat akin to a straw poll.

This year, the Iowa Democrat Party has shifted to a mail-in process with results announced on Super Tuesday, March 5th, due to the complications experienced in the 2020 Democratic caucuses. The Iowa Republicans are doing their caucuses relatively the same as always with a few minor administrative changes to help streamline. They are staying the course to ensure Iowa remains First in the Nation.

"The really neat thing about Iowa Caucus is gathering with our neighbors to kick off the process of picking our next Presidential nominee. Often times we see friends that we may have never realized align with our values and it becomes an opportunity to invite those friends into further involvement with the party and Republican women," said Iowa Federation of Republican Women President Michelle Crawford.

To participate in the Iowa caucuses, individuals must be registered voters in Iowa and at least 18 years old by Election Day, November 5th. Participants also need to ensure that their party affiliation matches the caucus they intend to join. For Republicans, finding their local precinct is essential for participation, whereas Democrats, focusing on mail-in voting, will gather primarily for party business discussions. Republicans can find their caucus location on the state party website.

The tradition of the Iowa caucuses as the first-in-the-nation event began in 1972 when the Iowa Democrats revamped their caucus system. They aimed to create a more inclusive process, starting nominations at the precinct level, and concluding at the state level, prioritizing grassroots-level opinions. To accommodate the new system, they scheduled their caucuses earlier than other states, a practice adopted by Iowa Republicans by 1976. This historical shift underscores the importance of these early caucuses in shaping the presidential nomination process, emphasizing grassroots influence in the American political landscape.

Gwen Ecklund, member of the NFRW President’s Advisory Committee and the 2024 Presidential Relations Committee, explains that “Iowans have a unique opportunity to meet and get to know these presidential hopefuls. Those that choose to participate in the caucus, take this opportunity seriously and understand their responsibility of beginning the process of selecting the eventual presidential nominee.” Ecklund is currently the Iowa FRW Parliamentarian & Club Outreach Chair. As a two-time State President, she is president of her local Republican Women’s Club and member of her GOP Central Committee. She will be leading her precinct caucus in Crawford County.

Many NFRW members across Iowa are crucial to this process and will be caucus leaders in their respective precicnts. "The eyes of the world are upon us here in Iowa, and have been for many months,” said Lori Leonard Reyman, Iowa FRW PR Chair, Presidential Advisor, and member of Northwest Iowa Republican Women. “It is an honor and a privilege to welcome all the GOP presidential candidates to the state, from our biggest cities to the smallest counties and towns, like my own farming community of Holstein here in Western Iowa,” said Leonard Reyman, who is a precinct chair in her county of Ida.