WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Republican Party is set to scrap primaries and caucuses in four U.S. states ahead of the presidential election, U.S. media reported Friday.
The Politico report said party officials in the states of South Carolina, Nevada, Arizona and Kansas are expected to finalize the cancellation process this weekend.
Party officials said as there are no intra-party challengers with any realistic chance of beating U.S. President Donald Trump in bagging party nomination, state level primaries can be skipped to save money.
Michael McDonald, Republican Party chairman of Nevada, said it would be a "waste of money" to hold a primary and reach the "inevitable conclusion."
"We should be spending those funds to get all our candidates across the finish line instead," he said.
Party chairman of Kansas Michael Kuckelman expressed similar opinion, saying cancelling the state caucus can save 250,000 U.S. dollars.
Both Republican candidates seeking to unseat Trump cried foul to the decisions. Congressman Joe Walsh, one of the challengers, said the move was "wrong" and the Republican National Committee "should be ashamed of itself."
The Politico quoted White House aides as saying that it had no role in cancelling state level primaries, but would support such a move.
It is not unusual for political parties to cancel state primaries and caucuses if a president of their party is seeking reelection.
