(Image source: Bloomberg News / The New York Times)

BY ZACH TOOMBS

First Florida, then Iowa and, now, Nevada. Efforts to move up the GOP’s early primary and caucus dates has left New Hampshire Republicans upset, and at least five presidential candidates are siding with the Granite State.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports those candidates are promising to boycott Nevada’s caucus unless it gives New Hampshire the space it needs for an earlier primary date.

“Former pizza executive Herman Cain will boycott Nevada's Republican caucuses, adding his voice to a growing chorus of critics urging the western battleground state to delay its presidential nomination contest by just three days. Cain is the fifth candidate to boycott Nevada's contest, joining former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann...”

FOX News explains the shifting Republican primary and caucus calendar.

“Nevada moved its caucuses to January 14th. You see all those dates circled. Well, New Hampshire cherishes its role as the second overall voting contest, right after Iowa. But its state laws require its primary be held on a Tuesday, seven days before any other state. Well, that won’t work on this calendar, so New Hampshire asked Nevada to move its caucuses back to January 17th. Nevada said, ‘No, thank you,’ and now New Hampshire is saying, ‘Fine. We just might move our primary to early December.’ 

The call for a boycott originally came from the former Utah governor -- Huntsman, who’s also skipping out on Tuesday’s debate in Nevada. The decision was made after allegations that front runner Mitt Romney’s campaign had encouraged Nevada GOP officials to move its caucuses up.

Former Republican Nevada Governor Robert List told the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

“We moved the date for the good of Nevada, not the Romney campaign. But Romney's people were pushing for us to move into January so that he could get some momentum and have a rising tide going into Florida."

So, with most pundits, including those at the Las Vegas Sun, agreeing that Romney has Nevada in the bag, the boycott from other candidates may have more to do with politics than principle.

“Of the Nevada boycotters, only Cain has achieved front-runner status in national polls lately. And only Cain has established a rudimentary campaign network in the Silver State. So it’s not really costing the most of them much. The problem for Romney … is that he needs Nevada to matter. And for Nevada to matter, there needs to be a race.”

Despite the GOP’s scheduling dilemmas, all the major candidates, aside from Huntsman, will be on stage for CNN’s debate Tuesday in Nevada.

Transcript by Newsy.