Tonight at 9 PM EST the final debate before the Iowa Caucuses (which take place on Jan. 3rd) will be shown on Fox News. Many voters still are uncertain as to who they will vote for, so a good showing could propel someone to front-runner status overnight. Alternatively, a bad showing could seriously hinder someone’s chances at a strong finish in the Jan. 3rd caucuses.
As of now the current front-runners in Iowa are in order of recent poll numbers:
- Newt Gingrich
- Ron Paul
- Mitt Romney
Recent polls have indicated that Mitt Romney is still stagnated in Iowa in the mid. teens while Newt Gingrich has seen his poll numbers plateau and even drop (as much as a point a day for 10 days in some polls). All this time Ron Paul has seen his support continue to steadily grow as he is now challenging Newt Gingrich for the lead in Iowa and most pundits now believe that a Paul win in Iowa is more likely to happen than not.
After Iowa the campaign switches to New Hampshire for the first Primaries of the 2012 election cycle. A strong showing in Iowa could bolster a candidate to the top in New Hampshire as well, but only time will tell.
Also, if you haven’t checked out these two impressive straw poll wins for Ron Paul, here are the links:
- Miami Straw Poll: http://www.dailypaul.com/193077/ron-paul-wins-miami-straw-poll
- Pasco County Straw Poll: http://www.dailypaul.com/192775/ron-paul-wins-fl-gop-straw-poll
