Ten months before caucuses, Iowa in campaign mode

Still, a few candidates are already finding less travel-heavy ways to expose themselves to caucus-goers. Mr. Romney has started a few television ads already – a surprisingly early move in a state where TV traditionally has less impact than word-of-mouth and personal appearances – and Edwards recently mailed 70,000 DVDs to Iowa homes that tout his universal healthcare plan.

With the popular former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack dropping out of the race, Edwards is also the first to try overtly to capitalize on his absence, announcing endorsements by more than 100 former Vilsack supporters.

Still, many Iowans say they're going to wait and get a look at all the candidates before making a call. And experts note that even the most well-run polls have little predictive power, especially in a state that relies on people to show up at a caucus location and devote a substantial amount of time to taking part.

"I see these polls – Giuliani is here and McCain is here and this is where Romney's at. To me, here in Iowa, they're generally useless," says Chuck Laudner, executive director for the Iowa State Republican Party. "People aren't making up their mind yet." Instead, he says, "they have in their pocket at any given time the list of questions they want to ask these candidates when they get their chance."

That was the case at Edwards's Council Falls event, where attendees peppered the former senator with questions about immigration, education, and the details of his healthcare plan.

"I just get a feeling he's down-to-earth," was the verdict of Tracy Hull, an independent who supported Edwards, but not John Kerry, in 2004, and says that so far, she likes Edwards and McCain.

Professor Squire says that while top-tier candidates may be drawing the biggest crowds, he's been impressed with how many Iowans are showing up this early to smaller appearances by lesser-known candidates, like Thompson or Dodd.

Last week in Des Moines, Senator Biden spoke to several dozen at a wine-and-cheese catered event at which the Senator aired his views on Iraq and answered thoughtful foreign-policy questions.

"We're good Iowa caucus-goers who need to look them all over," laughs Julia Gentleman, a former Republican state legislator who's now a Democrat, as she waits for Biden to speak.

David Hurd, standing next to her, agrees. "I'm of an open mind and trying to learn – to get a better sense of the individual and the character. There's a sense that this time around it really matters."

And with 10 months to go until the caucuses, some of the lesser-known candidates say a state like Iowa and its small-town campaigning offers the perfect opportunity for them to gain momentum.

"Right now, there's a gigantic disconnect between what's written in the national press and what's happening in the primary states," says Biden, after speaking in Des Moines. "The irony of all ironies is that the frontrunners are trying to push up more states' primaries. I hope that happens, because that means states like Iowa are even more important."

Page: 1 | 2