On the eve of the first-in-the-nation Jan. 3 Iowa Caucus, the
Midwestern farming state is peacefully counting down to the first
battle of the 2008 US presidential race.
In Des Moines, the capital of Iowa, there is not much
campaigning seen on the streets and there is virtually no election
banner in the very cold weather.
Leading candidates from both Democratic and Republican are
traveling back and forth across the state stoplessly to make the
final push in the countdown to the caucus night Thursday.
On both the Democratic and Republican fronts, the race is very
tight in Iowa as shown in conflicting poll results.
With all the major candidates engaged in a full court press in
Iowa, three polls out since Monday show no clear leader in the
state in the run-up to Thursday's caucuses.
The final Des Moines Register poll before caucuses shows among
Democrats, Barack Obama is leading with 32 percent, followed by
Hillary Clinton with 25 percent and John Edwards with 24
percent.
On the GOP side, Mike Huckabee is leading Mitt Romney 32
percent-26 percent in Iowa, followed by John McCain with 13
percent.
However, a CNN poll shows Clinton at 33 percent; Obama at 31
percent and Edwards at 22 percent.
On the GOP side, the poll has Romney at 31 percent; Huckabee at
28 percent; Fred Thompson at 13 percent; McCain at 10 percent and
Rudy Giuliani, 8 percent.
Zogby International's daily Iowa tracking poll shows Clinton
leading the Democratic field in Iowa with 30 percent, followed by
Obama, 26 percent, and Edwards, 25 percent. Richardson and Biden
both pull 5 percent apiece.
The earlier a state holds the primary election, the more
attention it receives from candidates and media. Thus, the
first-in-the-nation caucus in Iowa and the first-in-the-nation
primary in New Hampshire, are considered as the winner or the
weather vane for the presidential nomination process.
(Xinhua News Agency January 3, 2008)
