GOP Makes its First Presidential Pick in Iowa

Today, Iowa gets to determine its Presidential choice for the GOP.  This contest between the final seven candidates has been tough.  After today, it promises to get even more intense. 

Mitt Romney fields a question from CNN host Wolf Blitzer at
the 11/22/2011 televised GOP debate.  (TV Screenshot)

Although I don’t feel that the Iowa GOP caucus is truly representative of the majority of voters in that state, it nonetheless provides a strong impetus for the winner who will have an advantage going into the New Hampshire primaries on January 10^th. 

The Iowa caucus remains influential:  Four years ago, in what some pundits considered an upset, Barack Obama defeated Hillary Clinton, and subsequently propelled himself into the White House. 

But for the GOP in the last few months, polls have been teetering every which way.


It’s impossible to tell who will come out on top until the counting is over, yet two candidates seem to be near the top, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, with the latter having gained momentum in the past few weeks.

The Des Moines Register, a Gannett newspaper, (as is the Courier News) has formally endorsed Mitt Romney, also my pick.  But we’ll see where it all turns out later this evening. 

Rick Santorum at the 11/22/2011 nationally televised GOP debate.
(TV Screenshot)

Born in Virginia, Santorum groomed his political life in Pennsylvania; and, although Romney was born in Detroit, he graduated from Brigham Young University in Utah, received both a law degree and an M.B.A from Harvard and, following college, he built his business and political career in Massachusetts.

New Jersey’s Governor Chris Christie is a strong supporter of Romney and has been actively campaigning for him in Iowa.

Whatever one may say about the prolific number of GOP candidates – Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul (still a viable front-runner in Iowa), Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry, and Newt Gingrich are the other remaining five – this race has provided a thorough vetting for each and every one of them.  It’s not over yet.

Outwardly, the stage has been very still on the Democratic side, but both parties are quietly lining up their big guns.  This is going to be a long, expensive and grueling presidential contest. 

I hope there is as much vetting that will take place for the Democratic candidate as there has been and will continue to be for the one who emerges for the GOP.