DENVER—The Colorado Republican Party has moved its presidential caucuses up five weeks to Feb. 5, joining other states hoping to attract more attention from the candidates.
“This move should increase campaign activity in Colorado by all the Republican presidential candidates,” state GOP Chairman Dick Wadhams said in a statement Thursday.
Colorado Democrats voted in July to move their caucuses to the same date.
A new state law left it up to the major parties whether to move their caucuses from the traditional March 18 date to February in presidential election years.
The GOP’s decision came on a vote of the state central committee. Results were tabulated this week.
The 2008 primary and caucus schedule is in disarray nationwide as some states try to leapfrog ahead of the traditional kickoff sites, New Hampshire and Iowa.
Democratic Party officials have threatened to strip Florida and Michigan of all their delegates to the 2008 convention in Denver for moving their primaries to January.
Wyoming Republicans have moved their caucuses to January.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., have proposed changing the nominating process to create six primary dates between March and June featuring states from six separate geographic regions. The order of states would be determined by lottery and rotate every four years.
