Republican presidential hopefuls descended on Iowa Tuesday in a final push for a win in the first voting contest of 2012 that could propel their campaign to take on President Barack Obama.
With just a week to go before the Iowa caucuses, the outcome remains uncertain, with all six candidates staking out their hopes for the closely-watched contest that could help them secure the Republican nomination ahead of November's general election.
Although an Iowa victory does not reliably predict the eventual nominee -- Senator John McCain, the party's choice in 2008, came in fourth that year -- it is expected to shrink the field as candidates who finish toward the bottom of the pack tend to drop out.
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Complete article at AFP : http://bit.ly/vK3YLz
