Politics
Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum the Favorites in Iowa
Around the State
Mitt Romney, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, Rick Santorum and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)
Recent polls show three of them in position to win Iowa, which leads the procession of state caucuses and primaries.
Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, who is a heavy favorite to win the New Hampshire primary next week, hopes to prevail in the Hawkeye State and over the weekend raised expectations for a win in Iowa. Romney hopes to become the first non-incumbent Republican to win both Iowa and New Hampshire, which would put him on the fast track to winning the GOP nomination.
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is also looking to win Iowa. Paul has a very dedicated following and, with a strong second place showing in the Iowa Republican straw poll back in August, has shown that he has a solid organization in place in the state.
Garnering little in the way of media coverage and remaining a blip in the national polls, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania has surged in the last week in surveys of Iowa Republicans. Santorum has worked Iowa the old-fashioned way, campaigning in all 99 counties in the state. Social conservatives have been influential in the Iowa caucus in recent decades, propelling Mike Huckabee to victory in 2008, helping Gary Bauer and Alan Keyes pull strong showings in 2000 and allowing Pat Robertson to finish second in 1988 over then-Vice President George H.W. Bush. Santorum hopes to continue that trend with a strong finish on Tuesday night.
The other candidates remain in the mix even as their hopes fade in Iowa. Despite leading the state in early December, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich is sinking in the polls as he faced a barrage of attacks in recent weeks. While he has been hitting the airwaves, including turning his fire to Santorum this weekend, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas has not recovered from a string of gaffes and poor debate performances. Despite winning the Iowa Republican straw poll in August, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota has faded in the Hawkeye State, though on Tuesday morning she vowed to push on to South Carolina which will hold its primary after New Hampshire. Other candidates -- particularly former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah and former Gov. Buddy Roemer of Louisiana -- have focused on New Hampshire instead of Iowa.
Paddy Power, the largest oddskeeper in Ireland, looked out at Iowa and made Romney the favorite to win the caucus. The former Massachusetts governor gets even odds to win. Santorum and Paul are tied for second with 2-1 odds each, followed by Gingrich at 20-1, Perry at 33-1, Bachmann at 50-1 and Huntsman at 100-1.
“The race for the Republican nomination really is heating up," said Paddy Power in a statement on Tuesday. “Romney is the clear favorite at the minute, but with this race already having had so many twists and turns we could have a few more surprises before the end.”
Caucus results will start trickling in around 8 p.m.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
Comments (4)
Concerned Canadian
Thank you
The only way to defeat the monopoly of influence held by the party leaders and mainstream media, is for WE THE PEOPLE to educate our neighbors first hand.
Want to get involved in the movement?
STEP ONE: Mark every upcoming MoneyBomb on your calendar. Even if you can't afford to donate personally, you can still promote these via social networks and by calling your friends and family.
Next MoneyBomb: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY, JAN. 16th
STEP TWO: Go to phone.ronpaul2012.com to make phone calls for the campaign. Provide a valuable service to the campaign by allowing them to identify (1) Fellow Supporters (2) Their biggest rivals (3) The most important issues to the voters in the states you will be calling. The campaign on the ground in those states will then use that information to energize and mobilize the supporters they already have, and effectively target those they wish to convert.
STEP THREE: Join your local meetup group at RonPaul.Meetup.com - These groups are very casual and made up of easy going, amazingly creative supporters across the nation. If you believe in personal liberty, you will fit right in. There is always something- big or small, you can do to help your local groups out- this is VERY important to our grassroots efforts. If you have a business, you can also sponsor meetup groups in exchange for advertising on their page- or if you have a diner, restaurant or other venue your local meetup groups can use, you can make your space available to the meetup groups, helping them, and your business at the same time
STEP FOUR: Look up ways to promote the message locally, online, within your meetup groups, etc. There are tons of Resources, tips, and downloadable flyers here: shop4liberty.com/page.asp?ID=2967
STEP FIVE: Be sure to participate in and promote every grassroots event. Find upcoming grassroots events at ronpaulforums.com dailypaul.com and here is an easy link for promoting most of them at one time- (if any are missing just inform the site through the comments and they will be added) shop4liberty.com/page.asp?ID=2962
STEP SIX: Donate to and Promote REVOLUTION PAC - Revolution Pac has created some of the most moving and effective ads for Ron Paul - along with organizing other major efforts for spreading the word of liberty. Please check them out and spread the word revolutionpac.com
STEP SEVEN: When you shop for anything online, be sure to check the retailers at shop4liberty.com first. Retailers featured on the site will pay into the Ron Paul Fundraiser by shop4liberty for every sale made through the banner ads on the site. Retailers include Amazon, CafePress, Tiger Direct, Barnes N Noble, and 100+ more .... 100% of the money raised through the site goes to fund the creation and distribution of FREE RON PAUL GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGNING MATERIALS to supporters all over the nation. Sign up for your kit on the site (there is a long waiting list, so help us send as many of these kits as possible, as quickly as possible by doing all of your shopping through the site!)
STEP EIGHT: Change all of your social media profile pictures to RON PAUL- by joining Ron Paul's "Avatar Army" you are gaining tons of free advertising for Dr. Paul.
YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU. PLEASE UTILIZE THIS INFORMATION AND PASS IT ON
Leave a Comment on This Story