The ongoing battle over the Republican primary schedule took on an additional layer of drama Thursday as former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman announced he would skip the Nevada caucus unless its date is moved back.
The announcement came after New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner said he was considering moving the Granite State’s primary to early December unless Nevada moved its caucus to a later date. The caucus is currently scheduled for January 14.
“If Nevada does not accept a date of Tuesday, January 17th or later for its caucus, it leaves New Hampshire no choice but to consider December of this year,” Gardner said in a statement released Wednesday. “The dates of Tuesday, December 13th, and Tuesday, December 6th are realistic options, and we have logistics in place to make either date happen if needed.”
According to state law, New Hampshire must schedule its primary before any “similar” contest — a criteria officials say the Nevada caucus meets.
Huntsman campaign manager Matt David says his candidate supports Gardner’s stand. “In an effort to preserve New Hampshire’s historic first-in-the-nation primary status, the Huntsman campaign will boycott the Nevada caucus as long as the state continues to jeopardize New Hampshire’s primary date,” David said in a statement. “We call on the other campaigns to join us, especially Governor Romney’s campaign given their involvement in moving Nevada’s date forward.”
Romney, who won the Nevada caucus in 2008, is currently leading in the polls there. The New Hampshire primary is considered a must-win for Huntsman, who has struggled to rise in the polls almost everywhere else and recently moved his campaign headquarters to the state.
The Republican primary schedule was thrown into turmoil after Florida announced it would break agreed-upon rules and schedule its primary on January 31st.