Iowa Democrats vowed on Friday that a new ruling by the Democratic National Committee would not jeopardize Iowa's status as the first-in-the-nation caucus state.
"Just know this: On Feb. 3, 2020 caucuses will take place in this state. Iowa will be first," Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price said in a news conference.
Price made the statement in the wake of a new recommendation by the DNC to scrap so-called virtual caucuses that had been planned for 2020. The telephone-based system of voting proposed in Iowa and Nevada had been designed to fulfill a new DNC requirement to improve accessibility at the 2020 caucuses.
While the virtual caucus plan was more than seven months in the making, the DNC determined there were too many potential security risks with an electronic system, Price said.
Now, it's unclear just how the caucuses in both Iowa and Nevada will move forward while fulfilling the accessibility requirement. While applying for a waiver is an option, Price said that he doesn't foresee going that route at the moment.
"I am confident that we will find something that will expand accessibility in that process," Price said. "I’m not going to speculate on what those alternatives are."
Price said he spoke with DNC Chairman Tom Perez on Friday, who gave him personal assurances that the ruling would not imperil Iowa's place on the 2020 calendar.
"The chairman has assured us that we will be first," Price said. "We will be a caucus and we will be first."
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine