CARSON CITY -- Key Nevada Republicans moved ahead Friday with plans to advance their presidential caucus to Jan. 19, the same day that the state's Democrats will vote for their candidates.

Most members of the state GOP's executive board joined with the heads of county-level party organizations in a telephone conference call that lasted more than an hour and ended with an agreement to support the change.

The executive board members will meet again April 4 to make a formal recommendation. A final decision will have to be made by the party's state central committee, which meets April 21 in Carson City.

"We're solidly in favor of moving the date again," Paul Willis of Pahrump, the state party's interim chairman, said after the conference call. Earlier this month, the party's executive committee had voted to shift the caucus to Feb. 7, about 2 1/2 months ahead of the original date.

Last summer, the Democratic National Committee gave Nevada the second 2008 presidential caucus in the nation, on Jan. 19 after one in Iowa and before one in New Hampshire. Since then, all major Democratic contenders for the White House have been in the state and will continue to make appearances throughout the year.

The Republican National Committee leaves it up to individual states when to have their contests, but bylaws say that states who hold their events before Feb. 5 will lose half of their delegates to the national nominating convention.

Asked whether the delegate loss actually will occur, Willis said, "It definitely will happen. But it's a sacrifice we have to make."

"The reality is that we are being compelled to do this by the Democrats," Willis said, adding, "It is what it is. The objective is to do what's best for the state and for the party."

Willis also said he had been unfairly characterized as an opponent of the early caucus, but that wasn't the case. He said he only wanted to make sure that the proper process was followed.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Jim Gibbons said the governor is prepared to support the move, providing the state GOP executive committee and other top Republicans support the idea.

Pete Ernaut, a Republican lobbyist who is heading the party's caucus effort, said grass-roots Republicans wanted the change. He also questioned whether the loss of some national convention delegates would have much of an impact.

Advocates for the change included party activist Chuck Muth, who circulated an online petition calling for the Jan. 19 caucus.