Romney, Paul, Santorum 1-2-3 in Another Iowa Poll

Candidates make last-minute preparations

(NEWSER) - A day ahead of Iowa voting, three candidates are within two points of each other in the latest poll: Ron Paul is leading the field at 20%, while Mitt Romney follows at 19% and Rick Santorum boasts 18%, having jumped eight points since earlier this week, notes Public Policy Polling . That gives him the clear momentum; he's also got the highest favorability rating at 60%. Meanwhile, Newt Gingrich trails at 14%, ahead of Rick Perry with 10%, Michele Bachmann with 8%, and Jon Huntsman with 4%. More»

Mitt Romney basically has 4 of the 10 states in the bag

(NEWSER) - Tomorrow is looking good for Mitt Romney, who will likely take more of the 422 delegates up for grabs in Super Tuesday contests than his opponents (an additional 15 super delegates aren't bound to tomorrow's wins). He may even walk away with a delegate majority, writes Nate Silver. A look at the landscape, from the New York Times , Politico , Public Policy Polling , and the Wall Street Journal :

• Georgia (76 delegates): Newt Gingrich will almost certainly win, but Romney could "win by losing," Politico notes: A Gingrich win could keep Newt in the race, where he'll continue to siphon conservative votes from Rick Santorum. (Plus, Romney could still take up to a third of the delegates due to distribution rules.)
• Ohio (66 delegates): Romney has been closing in on Santorum here, and though the race is too close to call , some think Romney's momentum will propel him to a win. Even if it does not, he will likely take the most delegates, since Santorum may be ineligible for 18 of them.
• Tennessee (58 delegates): Romney is also closing in on Santorum here, and an upset victory—which is possible—would be symbolically huge for him, showing he holds appeal even in the South.

Who won? Well, either Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum

(NEWSER) - We'll never know for sure who actually won the Iowa caucuses. After a recount, Rick Santorum was found to have finished ahead of declared winner Mitt Romney by 34 votes, but the results from eight precincts are missing and will never be certified—meaning "it’s a split decision," one GOP official says. Adds another, "The comments I made at 1:30am Jan. 4 congratulating both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum still apply." In a statement acknowledging the new results, Romney called it a "virtual tie" and said Santorum had a "strong performance," the AP reports. More»

Newt Gingrich falls to third with 18%

(NEWSER) - Just a month ago, Newt Gingrich had a huge lead in South Carolina, and two months ago Rick Santorum was languishing at 1%. Times, they have a'changed. Santorum has vaulted into second with 24% of the vote in the latest Rasmussen poll , just behind Mitt Romney's 27%. Gingrich has fallen to third with 18%, followed by Ron Paul with 11%. Rick Perry and Jon Huntsman are in the single digits with 5% and 2% respectively. More»

Alabama, Mississippi primaries could seal the deal for Romney

(NEWSER) - Today's primaries in Mississippi and Alabama are playing an unexpectedly pivotal role in the GOP presidential race. What to keep an eye on, per NPR and Politico :

• Will Mitt finally win in the South? He's failed to take any of the southern states so far, but he's polling well in both Alabama and Mississippi. Will today be the day he proves he can compete in the famously conservative region? Both states veer particularly sharply to the right, so both Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum really want to beat Romney here to burnish their conservative bona fides.
• Will Newt lose in the South? Gingrich has called both states must-win for him; in order to stay in the race, he'll likely have to win at least one and perform well in the other.