As millions of people across the country reflect on and celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Iowa Republicans will help elect their party's presidential candidate.
The Iowa Republican Party did not consider the overlap with the federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday when its central committee voted unanimously to set the date, state party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said last year.
A party spokesperson later told the Associated Press that, in fact, the committee had previously discussed the fact that the caucuses would fall on the holiday. When asked about this week's date, a spokesperson said the party had no additional comment.
“As Republicans, we can, I think this honors the legacy of Martin Luther King in terms of having a caucus here,” Kaufmann said last July.
The caucuses don't start until 7 p.m. local time, but some Iowans have already adjusted their vacation plans to accommodate the election event. The Sioux City chapter of the NAACP moved its annual MLK Day celebration to Sunday, the Sioux City Journal reported.
The Iowa caucuses are historically the first event of a presidential election year and are held eight days before the New Hampshire primary. The dates vary from year to year and occasionally take place on the first Monday in February or even on January 3rd.
The last time the caucuses coincided with Martin Luther King Day was in 2004, when Democrat John Kerry won the support of Iowans.
