GOP Hopefuls Make Final Pitches In Iowa

By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DAVENPORT, Iowa-- The Iowa race remarkably fluid, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney faces a suddenly surging Rick Santorum, an unpredictable Ron Paul factor and the challenge of winning over undecided conservatives in a state that spurned him four years ago.

"I look forward to building on our momentum from Iowa to again defy expectations in New Hampshire," a confident Santorum said Monday, announcing the endorsement of several New Hampshire politicians and making clear that he compete aggressively in that state's Jan. 10 primary regardless of the Iowa outcome.

Monday is the last full day of campaigning before caucuses that kick off state-by-state voting in the fight to pick a Republican to challenge President Barack Obama next fall.

The trio clustered at the top, as well as the trailing Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, were fanning out across the Midwestern state to make closing arguments to the chunk of likely Iowa Republican caucus-goers who say they haven't decided who to support and still could change their minds.

"I feel very confident. We've got a great ground game," Perry said on NBC as the day began, highlighting the 41 percent of likely voters who say in a recent poll that they could be persuaded to vote for someone else.

It's been a costly race with at least $12.5 million in advertising - much of it negative - flooding Iowa's airwaves in the run-up to the caucuses as candidates and outside groups aligned with them, called super PACs, worked to influence the outcome of what remains a wide open race.