Republican Candidates Ready for Vote in Iowa

Posted January 3rd, 2012 at 6:50 pm (UTC-5)
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Voters in the central U.S. state of Iowa are making their choices for president Tuesday, as the state holds the first nominating contest of the 2012 presidential election.

Candidates have been furiously campaigning in Iowa in the days ahead of the presidential caucuses. Hours before the vote, some Republican presidential candidates appealed to young voters for their support.

Residents will brave the winter cold to cast their votes at party caucus meetings.

The latest polls show former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney leading the Republican contenders, while anti-war advocate Ron Paul is close behind and social conservative Rick Santorum is in third. But with nearly half of Iowa voters saying they are still making up their minds, the outcome is impossible to predict.

The Democratic Party also holds its caucuses. President Barack Obama is unopposed for the party nomination but is hosting a live web chat with supporters in Iowa Tuesday night. He faces a difficult test to win another term in the November election. The nation's economy has recovered sluggishly from the 2007-2009 recession, leaving many voters questioning his leadership.

Campaigning for the Republican nomination, Paul, a U.S. representative from Texas, promoted his anti-war stance at a high school outside the state capital, Des Moines.

“There is no reason in the world that we cannot be strict constitutionalists, strong national defense and say that we should not send young people off to war unless it's absolutely necessary and necessary for our national security.”

At that same “Rock the Caucus” event, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum encouraged students to hold their president and presidential candidates accountable.

“Every decision that's going to be made during the next few years, whether 'Obamacare' is repealed or whether it's kept in place, whether taxes are going to grow, whether this deficit that is now crushing the economy and will crush your pocketbooks in the future is going to be dealt with so you won't have a lower standard of living. Those are the issues.”

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann also touched on the tax issue, highlighting her experience as a tax lawyer.

“I want to abolish the tax code and do away with it and put in its place a pro-growth code, so that you can widely succeed with your future and with your plans.”

Voters in Iowa often do not pick the eventual presidential nominees for either the Republicans or Democrats. But the state's caucuses can push weak contenders out of the race, or propel stronger candidates to success in other states during the next several weeks.

Of the seven Republican contenders, one, the former U.S. ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, has not campaigned in Iowa. He is pinning his hopes on a good showing in the New Hampshire state primary January 10.