Nevada GOP under increasing pressure to reschedule caucus

With GOP leaders in Las Vegas for the Western Republican Leadership Conference, the Nevada Republican Party is coming under increasing pressure to move its presidential caucus date later than Jan. 14.

Amy Tarkanian, the state party chair, is talking to leaders of the Republican National Committee about whether to bow to New Hampshire's wishes that Nevada move so the Granite state's first-in-the nation primary could be set for Jan. 10, allowing at least a week between the two contests.

Iowa has set its first-in-the-nation caucuses for Jan. 3.

Former Nevada Gov. Bob List, a GOP national committeeman, confirmed Wednesday the state is considering several other Saturday dates in January and February, including Jan. 7, Feb. 4 and Feb. 18, the original date.

Nevada also could pick Jan. 21, but doesn't want to hold its caucuses on the same day as the South Carolina primary, List said.

Jan. 28 is another possibility, but then Nevada's caucuses would be too close to Florida's Jan. 31 primary, he said. Also, Nevada would still lose half its 28 delegates for violating national party rules by voting in January.

The most likely outcome -- if Nevada moves -- would be a February date so the state would not lose delegates, but would still be first in the West, List said.

"We're reviewing our options to get us to where we want to go," List said.

The Nevada GOP has a meeting set for Saturday to decide the date.