Republican leaders from Iowa are jumping to defend their state's first-in-the-nation nominating status after Monday night's bungled caucuses sparked cries for Iowa to lose its privileged status.

Iowa Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, joined by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, called their home state the "ideal" one to kick off presidential election seasons, pointing to what they said is its “large population of independent voters and its practice of careful deliberation.”


“Iowa’s bipartisan first-in-the-nation status helped lead to the nomination of President Obama and has the full backing of President Trump. The process is not suffering because of a short delay in knowing the final results,” the trio of politicians, all Republicans, said in their statement.