U.S. presidential hopefuls to face 1st real test in Iowa

SMALL TURNOUTS AND UNDECIDED VOTERS

For candidates, they are faced with two urgent tasks before the first-in-the-nation Iowa Caucus.

First, they need to rally loyal supporters to ensure they show up to vote. Candidates in both parties are fighting over a small pool of voters in Iowa; about 120,000 to 150,000 people are expected to vote in the Democratic caucuses, while 80,000 to 90,000 are likely to participate in the GOP contest.

That is a small chunk out of the nearly 3 million Iowans. So it could take relatively few people to give a candidate an edge -- and that's where the final push for votes comes into play.

For example, Clinton is banking on more women of senior age -- her traditional supporters -- to show up while Obama hope more young people who generally favor him to cast their ballots.

The second task is to push undecided voters into a decision. Polls point to an unusually large number of undecided voters in Iowa. In a CNN poll of mid-December, just 38 percent of Iowa's likely voters had definitely decided on a candidate.

Some 40 percent of respondents said they were still trying to decide. Deb Bailey, a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, told Xinhua in an Obama event that she can't choose between Hillary and Obama.

"Hillary has experience and Obama has vision to change. They are both great persons," she said. The art director said she will support a Democrat anyway.

Dee Krantz, a farmer in Iowa, has the similar problem. "I don't know which one I should vote for," He told Xinhua in a rally for Romney.

Krantz generally favors Giuliani, but the former New York mayor seems to skip Iowa and focus on bigger states.

IOWA IMPACT

The Iowa Caucus is the first step in selecting party candidates for the U.S. presidential election.

The contests in the small midwestern state have a big impact because their results attract intense media attention. For example, whoever comes in third in the three-horse race among the Democrats seems to have a slim chance of winning the nomination, if history is any guide.

That is why all eyes will be on the intense race between Clinton and Obama in Iowa, perhaps the only state where Edwards is favored to win.

On the Republican side, if current favorite Huckabee doesn't secure a first-place win, it could be a fatal blow for him as well.

About 40 million U.S. dollars has been spent on campaigning in Iowa, which averages out to be more than 400 dollars for each voter expected to attend the caucuses.

The figures could make this year's race the first-ever billion-dollar presidential election. (Yang Qingchuan)

Editor:Zhang Pengfei