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DES MOINES, Aug. 10 -- Iowa Gov. Chet Culver (D) sought to restore order to an increasingly chaotic presidential nominating calendar Friday, saying he will fight to preserve the first-in-the-nation status of his state's caucuses but will not allow them to be held in December.

Culver's assurances came a day after South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson announced that his party will hold its primary on Jan. 19, a move that is likely to prompt Iowa, New Hampshire and possibly other states to schedule their contests even earlier.

"This is a 2008 presidential selection process. It should start in 2008," said Iowa Gov. Chet Culver. He said Iowa and New Hampshire officials are in talks about the nominating calendar. (By Charlie Neibergall -- Associated Press)
'08 Presidential Race

"The bottom line is Iowa will have the first caucus in the nation and we're going in January," Culver said during an interview in his office. "There's only so far that I think people are willing to be flexible. This is a 2008 presidential selection process. It should start in 2008, and I expect that it will."

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