GOP chief pledges to keep Iowa first in nation

Remember when Mitt Romney was declared the winner of the Iowa caucuses, then a new count showed Rick Santorum got more votes?

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Wednesday that Iowa will retain its "first in the nation" status in 2016, despite glitches this year that gave the caucuses -- and the state itself -- a black eye.

"You know, I think time heals some things, and I think four years from now, we will be re-electing Gov. Romney," Priebus said, according to The Des Moines Register. "We won't need to worry so much about all of these sorts of calendar issues. ... But I will tell you where the RNC is at right now is that we are willing and we are ready to protect Iowa's first-in-the-nation status."

Some political observers have long complained that Iowa and New Hampshire -- which typically go first and second every four years -- have too much influence in the presidential nominating process for small states.

Iowa caucusgoers don't go into a voting booth and cast a ballot. They typically write down the name of the person they support or raise their hands during a meeting -- usually held at a school or another community gathering place -- then those votes get phoned in to party officials.

This year, eight precincts were unaccounted for when the deadline came to certify the Iowa count. Santorum was ahead of Romney by 34 votes, so the former Pennsylvania senator was belatedly declared the winner two weeks after the caucuses were held. The result gave Santorum momentum, and he emerged as the alternative to Romney for the GOP presidential nominee.