DENVER—Democrats will meet this weekend to decide whether to move their presidential caucuses from March to February as part of a plan to make Colorado more relevant to the presidential candidates.
Republicans plan to make their decision by a mail-in vote of central committee members later this month.
A new state law leaves it up to the major parties whether to move the caucuses from March to February in presidential election years.
State Democratic Party chairwoman Pat Waak said her party’s central committee will meet Saturday in Pueblo to decide whether to stage its caucus on Feb. 5. That date is shaping up as a nearly national presidential primary, with 19 other states planning primaries or caucuses.
Waak said moving up the caucuses would force presidential candidates to pay more attention to Colorado, especially since Democrats are holding their national convention in Denver next year. In previous campaigns, Colorado received scant attention because it only has nine electoral votes.
Waak said most other states in the Rocky Mountain West decided to move up their caucuses or primaries after a plan to put together a Western primary fell apart.
“This is a kind of solidarity for Western states,” she said.
Waak said several presidential candidates told her they had no plans to spend time in Colorado unless the state moves up its caucus dates.
Dick Wadhams, chairman of the state Republican Party, said he will mail out a ballot to the 500 members of his central committee by the end of this month asking whether they want to move up their caucuses.
Wadhams said he favors moving up the date, and he believes other party leaders will go along.
Lawmakers agreed to leave the decision up to the parties after some Republicans worried that moving up the date would give candidates for state offices less time to rally their supporters and would force them to raise money during the Christmas holidays.
