Candidates prepare for Iowa caucuses

Republican candidates are campaigning in Iowa for the Jan. 3 caucuses, with the exception of Jon Huntsman, who is looking ahead to the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 10.

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Jan. 2, 2012

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney gets a hug as he campaigns at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport, Iowa.

Charles Dharapak / AP

Jan. 2, 2012

Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) waves to supporters from Taylor High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. The GOP presidential contenders are crisscrossing Iowa in the final stretch of campaigning in the state before the Jan. 3 caucuses, the first test the candidates must face before becoming the Republican presidential nominee.

Andrew Burton / GETTY IMAGES

Jan. 2, 2012

Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) greets supporters during a campaign stop at the Park Place Event Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa. With one day to go before the Iowa caucuses, Paul made a final campaign push with a whistle-stop tour through Iowa.

Justin Sullivan / GETTY IMAGES

Jan. 2, 2012

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.), accompanied by his wife Callista, gestures during a campaign stop, in Walford, Iowa.

Evan Vucci / AP

Jan. 2, 2012

Former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.) speaks at a campaign stop at Pizza Ranch in Boone, Iowa.

Charlie Riedel / AP

Jan. 2, 2012

Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks during a campaign stop at the Stoney Creek Inn in Sioux City, Iowa.

Charlie Neibergall / AP

Jan. 1, 2012

GOP Presidential candidate former and former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.) speaks to a crowd of approximately 200 people in the basement of the Frontier Bank in Rock Rapids, Iowa.

Melina Mara / The Washington Post

Jan. 1, 2012

Ally Drake, local precinct chair, announces GOP Presidential candidate, former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.) who speaks before supporters in Rock Rapids.

Melina Mara / The Washington Post

Jan. 1, 2012

Grasses blow in the sunset chill when entering Rock Rapids. With two days to caucus night, 2,500 population Rock Rapids in Lyon County, is about 85 percent Republican and is a common place to meet uncertain voters.

Melina Mara / The Washington Post

Jan. 1, 2012

Edward Lewis of Council Bluffs, Iowa, waves a state flag outside the Family Table Restaurant in Atlantic, Iowa, before the arrival of former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Lewis is well known in Iowa and shows up at many campaign events. "I like them all," Lewis said when asked who he is supporting. "I even like Clinton and Obama!" A poll published Saturday by the state's largest newspaper, the Des Moines Register, put Romney at the head of a large field of GOP candidates going into Tuesday's first-in-the nation Iowa caucuses.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Jan. 1, 2012

Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) and her husband, Marcus, sing and pray while attending services at Jubilee Family Church in Oskaloosa, Iowa, as Bachmann campaigns for the GOP presidential nomination. Bachmann also delivered personal testimony during the service.

Win McNamee / Getty Images

Jan. 1, 2012

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann speaks to congregants during a campaign stop at Jubilee Family Church in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Charlie Riedel / AP

Jan. 1, 2012

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich waits to begin a live broadcast interview in Ames, Iowa.

Andrew Burton / Getty Images

Jan. 1, 2012

Marilyn Izette Krocheski of Ames, Iowa, arrives at West Towne Pub to see Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich in Ames.

Andrew Burton / Getty Images

Jan. 1, 2012

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney listens as his wife, Ann, speaks during a presidential campaign appearance at the Family Table Restaurant in Atlantic, Iowa.

Chris Carlson / AP

Dec. 31, 2011

Texas Gov. Rick Perry listens to a question during a presidential campaign stop in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Charlie Riedel / AP

Dec. 30, 2011

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas signs a toy car during a presidential campaign stop in Le Mars, Iowa.

Eric Gay / AP

Dec. 31, 2011

Former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.), a Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign appearance at the Indianola Public Library in Indianola, Iowa.

Chris Carlson / AP

Dec. 30, 2011

Santorum holds a baby as he campaigns outside the Legends American Grill in Marshalltown, Iowa.

JOHN GRESS / Reuters

Dec. 30, 2011

Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) gets made up before an interview at a campaign stop in Sioux Center, Iowa.

Eric Gay / AP

Dec. 30, 2011

Paul signs the shirt of Raymond Landegent during a town hall meeting at the Le Mars Convention Center in Le Mars, Iowa.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Dec. 31, 2011

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign stop in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Charlie Riedel / AP

Dec. 30, 2011

Perry shows off his footwear as his wife, Anita, looks on during a campaign stop at the Fainting Goat in Waverly, Iowa.

Chris Carlson / AP

Dec. 30, 2011

Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.), a Republican presidential candidate, waves from her campaign bus as it pulls away in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Charles Dharapak / AP

Dec. 30, 2011

Bachmann sits with Carrie Kee, left, and Sherri Dolecheck, who said they were just laid off, as she makes a campaign stop at Sneakers Eatery and Pub in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Charles Dharapak / AP

Dec. 31, 2011

Newt Gingrich greets patrons as he stops for lunch at the Farmer's Kitchen restaurant in Atlantic, Iowa.

Charles Dharapak / AP

Dec, 30, 2011

Gingrich wipes away a tear while speaking about his deceased mother during a question-and-answer forum put together by Moms Matter 2012 at Java Joe's, a coffee shop, in Des Moines.

Andrew Burton / Getty Images

Dec. 31, 2011

Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman Jr. holds hands with his wife, Mary Kaye, while they and their daughter, Gracie Mei, wait as he is introduced at a town hall meeting in Thornton, N.H. The 2012 Republican presidential candidate is crisscrossing the state as its Jan. 10 primary nears.

Cheryl Senter / AP

Dec. 30, 2011

Huntsman, accompanied by state Rep. Julie Brown (R), gets a slice of "Rat Trap" cheese, at Calef's Famous Country Store in Barrington, N.H. While other Republican hopefuls pound the ground in Iowa, Huntsman is skipping that state's caucuses and staking his campaign's future in New Hampshire.

Cheryl Senter / AP

Dec. 30, 2011

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, left, addresses a campaign rally with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, and his wife, Ann Romney, at a Hy-Vee supermarket in West Des Moines, Iowa. Christie, a popular Republican governor who was urged to run for president this year, appeared with Romney just days before the Iowa caucuses.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Dec. 29, 2011

Romney signs autographs during a campaign stop at Kinzler Construction in Ames, Iowa.

Charlie Riedel / AP

Dec. 29, 2011

Former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.) hugs Karen Fesler during a campaign stop at the Button Factory restaurant in Muscatine, Iowa.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

Dec. 30, 2011

Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.), a Republican presidential candidate, greets customers at the Black Bear Diner in Sioux City, Iowa.

Jeff Haynes / Reuters

Dec. 29, 2011

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican presidential candidate, signs autographs after a campaign stop at the Blue Strawberry Coffee Co. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Charlie Neibergall / AP

Dec. 28, 2011

Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.), a Republican presidential candidate, laughs before the start of a town hall meeting at the Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Dec. 28, 2011

Texas Gov. Rick Perry gestures as he campaigns at the Smokey Row Coffee Shop in Pella, Iowa.

John Gress / Reuters

Dec. 29, 2011

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) and his wife, Callista, greet patrons at Pierce Street Coffee Works during a campaign stop in Sioux City, Iowa.

Jim Young / Reuters

Dec. 29, 2011

Mitt Romney greets supporters during a campaign event at J's Homestyle Cooking in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Recent statewide polls put Romney and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) close going into the first-in-the-country Iowa caucuses, a litmus test for the GOP hopefuls.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Dec. 28, 2011

Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) meets with patrons at the Nodaway Diner during a campaign stop in Greenfield, Iowa.

Evan Vucci / AP

Dec. 28, 2011

Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson speaks at a rally for Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) at the Iowa State Fair Grounds in Des Moines. Sorenson, formerly the Iowa campaign chairman for Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.), announced his support for Paul.

Charles Dharapak / AP

Dec. 28, 2011

Occupy Wall Street protesters disrupt a campaign event for Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Dec. 28, 2011

Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) poses with Jon Hathaway as he holds up the tail of his dog, Tizzy, during a photo line at a campaign event at the Iowa State Fair Grounds in Des Moines.

Charles Dharapak / AP

Dec. 28, 2011

Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, right, a Republican presidential candidate, shakes hands with a potential voter after a town hall in Pelham, N.H.

Elise Amendola / AP

Dec. 27, 2011

Supporters wait for the arrival of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor, for a rally at the Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport, Iowa. Romney is kicking off his statewide bus tour one week before the Iowa caucuses. Polls in the state show a virtual three-way tie between Romney and Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) and former House speaker Newt Gingrich.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Dec. 20, 2011

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich talks to seniors having lunch at a Hy-Vee store in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

Charlie Riedel / AP

Dec. 27, 2011

Ann Romney introduces her husband, Mitt Romney, before he delivered remarks in the Gold Room at the Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport, Iowa.

Jeff Haynes / Reuters

Dec. 22, 2011

Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.), a Republican presidential candidate, sits on a motorcycle during a campaign stop at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.

Charlie Riedel / AP

Dec. 22, 2011

Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.), a Republican presidential candidate, signs autographs during a campaign stop in Dubuque, Iowa.

Charlie Riedel / AP

Dec. 28, 2011

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, right, a Republican presidential candidate, campaigns at the Machine Shed Restaurant in Urbandale, Iowa.

John Gress / Reuters

Dec. 20, 2011

Former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.) greets residents during a campaign stop at Monarch’s restaurant in Pella, Iowa.

Charlie Neibergall / AP

Dec. 28, 2011

With a giant Mark Twain puppet looming behind him, Mitt Romney, center, greets supporters during an event in the Pearl Plaza in Muscatine, Iowa. The puppet of Twain, who lived in Muscatine in 1855, was built by local artists for the city's 2010 Fourth of July parade.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Dec. 17, 2011

Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) waves during a campaign stop at Hey, Good Cookies! Espresso Cafe in Spirit Lake, Iowa.

Eric Gay / AP

Dec. 20, 2011

Texas Gov. Rick Perry pretends to cut the hair of a customer as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, left, watches during a campaign stop at barber shop in DeWitt, Iowa.

Chris Carlson / AP

Dec. 27, 2011

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) shops for toys for his grandchildren with his wife Callista, right, and Ellen Hunt of the National Farm Toy Museum, during a campaign stop in Dyersville, Iowa.

Charles Dharapak / AP

Dec. 22, 2011

Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) speaks during a campaign stop in Dubuque, Iowa.

Charlie Riedel / AP

Dec. 26, 2011

Former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.), right, talks to reporters after pheasant hunting in Adel, Iowa.

Joshua Lott / Reuters

Dec. 27, 2011

Supporters of Newt Gingrich pose in front of his campaign bus during a stop at the Dubuque Golf and Country Club in Dubuque, Iowa. The GOP presidential contenders are crisscrossing Iowa in the final stretch of campaigning in the state before the Jan. 3 caucuses.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

Dec. 27, 2011

Sue Bleuer, of Sherrard, Ill., and fellow supporters of Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) wave signs as people arrive for an event with fellow candidate Mitt Romney outside the Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport, Iowa.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Dec. 22, 2011

Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) waves to supporters outside the Hamburg Inn in Iowa City, Iowa. About two dozen activists with Occupy Iowa City packed the diner before Bachmann arrived Thursday, then loudly chanted in unison as she tried to mingle with supporters. Their chant blasted the Minnesota congresswoman's position on gay rights, health care and taxes and ended with: "You're not wanted here. So go, just go."

John Richard / AP

Dec. 20, 2011

Texas Gov. Rick Perry waves during a campaign stop in downtown DeWitt, Iowa.

Chris Carlson / AP

Dec. 27, 2011

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney smiles from his car window as he departs a rally held at Geno's Chowder & Sandwich Shop in Portsmouth, N.H.

Jessica Rinaldi / Reuters

Dec. 27, 2011

Occupy activists enter the Occupy the Caucus headquarters in Des Moines.

Charlie Neibergall / AP

Dec. 27, 2011

Occupy activists attend nonviolent civil disobedience training at the Occupy the Caucus headquarters in Des Moines. Starting Wednesday, Occupy protesters are vowing to interrupt candidates at events and make life difficult at their Iowa offices by camping inside or outside of them. They say they want to change the political dialogue, but critics fear their tactics could tarnish Iowa's reputation for civil political discourse ahead of the Jan. 3 caucuses.

Charlie Neibergall / AP

Dec. 28, 2011

Texas Gov. Rick Perry laughs during a campaign stop at the Westside Conservative Club breakfast in Urbandale, Iowa.

Eric Gay / AP

Dec. 27, 2011

A boy yawns as Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks during a campaign stop at Adams Street Espresso in Creston, Iowa.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Dec. 20, 2011

Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, center, a Republican presidential candidate, greets employees as they head into work at BAE Systems in Nashua, N.H.

Cheryl Senter / AP

Dec. 19, 2011

Jon Huntsman shakes hands during a visit to the Manchester Republican Committee Christmas party in Manchester, N.H.

Charles Krupa / AP

Dec. 18, 2011

Jon Huntsman speaks at a town hall meeting in Rochester, N.H.

Winslow Townson / AP

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