Romney plans aggressive Iowa campaign in last days before caucus vote

On the campaign trail with Felicia Sonmez

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, right, answers a question about his stance on abortion asked by Richard Pint, left, of Waterloo during a campaign stop at J's Homestyle Cooking Dec. 29, 2011, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. (MATTHEW PUTNEY - AP)

MASON CITY, Iowa – Moving aggressively to seize an opportunity to outperform expectations here in Iowa, Mitt Romney has scheduled a statewide campaign sprint in the hours leading up to Tuesday’s caucuses.

Romney’s plans to end his three-day bus tour with a Friday morning rally in West Des Moines with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. From there, he jets to New Hampshire, where he will host a spaghetti dinner in Merrimack and a breakfast with supporters in Hampton.

But he will be back in Iowa about 30 hours later to barnstorm across the state on a schedule that leaves little doubt that he is all in to win the caucuses. On Saturday, Romney will hold economic themed events in Le Mars and Sioux City, and will campaign on New Year’s Day in Atlantic and Council Bluffs.

On Monday, Romney will hold four grassroots rallies across the state – in Davenport, Dubuque, and Cedar Rapids before ending the night in Des Moines. He is planning another Des Moines rally, on Tuesday morning, as well as a caucus night celebration with supporters downtown at the Hotel Fort Des Moines.

Romney plans to remain in Iowa for a series of television appearances on Wednesday morning -- a sign of confidence from his campaign. Romney could have chosen to fly overnight to New Hampshire, where he holds a commanding lead, to discuss the Iowa results from there.