Democratic Candidates Calmly Accept Jan 3 Caucus Date

I wrote this morning that the Iowa Democratic State Central Committee is likely to accept the recommendation of party leadership to hold its Caucuses on January 3, 2008. I have solicited comments from all of the Democratic presidential campaigns with significant presences in Iowa, and so far the responses I have received have been calm.

Taylor West, Iowa press secretary for Sen. Chris Dodd’s campaign, had this to say:

We are glad that there is some clarity for caucus-goers and we are happy that Iowa will retain its first-in-the-nation caucus status.

Chris Dodd looks forward to campaigning vigorously down the stretch in Iowa and then building from there on to New Hampshire

Mark Daley, Iowa communications director for Sen. Hillary Clinton, told me that the campaign knew that a date change was possible and had planned accordingly all along. “Our campaign has taken into account the possibility of a date change,” he said, “and we are just focused on making sure our supporters turnout on Caucus Night.”

Other campaign sources have echoed these sentiments. Pretty much everyone knew that the date was likely to change from January 14, the original date, and now campaigns are just relieved to have a better idea of when the big day will be.

5:20PM:

Jenni Lee, Iowa press secretary for former Sen. John Edwards, told me “We are in a strong position no matter when the caucus is held. We support the Iowa Democratic Party in its efforts to maintain Iowa’s first in the nation status.”

Gov. Bill Richardson’s campaign sent out a statement from Richardson himself:

I am pleased to hear that a possible caucus date of January 3 will be voted on Sunday and, like Iowa’s own political leaders, I support the proposal. I was the first Democratic presidential candidate to sign the pledge saying I won’t campaign in states trying to move ahead of the first four early states. Iowa plays a critical role in the selection of the nominee and should retain its first-in-the-nation status.

When I get more official responses from the campaigns, I will update this post accordingly.