A story in Politico this week is stirring up debate about the future of the Nevada GOP's prominent role in the presidential nominating process. Reno Public Radio's Julia Ritchey reports.
The Nevada GOP may lose its coveted first-in-the-West status thanks to internal disorganization and chronically low voter turnout.
That's according to members of the Republican National Committee who spoke anonymously to Politico's Kyle Cheney in a buzzed about article published over the weekend.
One operative is quoted as saying that Nevada's early caucus does "nothing" for the GOP.
This year, a record 75,000 people participated in the Republican caucus, more than double the number that turned out in 2012.
In a recent interview, political science professor Fred Lokken said that's still too low to be considered consequential.
"Although it was record-breaking, it's still embarrassingly low. Caucus participation really only scratches even those who are registered. So they aren't engaging as many as they could be based on the format that they use."
The RNC’s Rules Committee will address the issue when it meets in July before the national convention in Cleveland. Other states that have been floated as potential replacements for early state status include Colorado or Arizona.
