Last month we reported that Iowa and New Hampshire officials were coalescing around early January dates for the caucus and primary -- and were likely to settle on Saturday, January 5th for the Iowa caucuses and Tuesday, January 8th for the NH Primary. Officials in Iowa are standing by the 5th as their preferred date, but there's also been talk about January 3rd.

 

Some Republicans, particularly Romney backers, prefer a January 3rd caucus, claiming the two extra days would provide a bigger bounce for the winning candidate. Romney has been basing his entire strategy on winning in Iowa or New Hampshire and riding the momentum to the nomination. But the January 3rd contingent also cites big sporting events on the 5th -- including a BCS College Bowl game -- as a reason to hold the caucus earlier.

 

But even with other dates being floated, the fifth is still seen as the least awful of a series of bad choices -- which, ultimately, Iowa officials know they brought on themselves by agreeing with a first ever DNC calendar, which let Nevada go between Iowa and NH.