By Steve Holland
December 31, 2011 7:16 AM EST
U.S. White House hopeful Mitt Romney brought in help from New Jersey on Friday to bolster his prospects for a win in Iowa next week that would put him in the lead in the Republican presidential race.
Romney campaigned alongside tough-talking New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in a final frenzy of candidate appearances before Iowa launches the state-by-state contests to choose the Republican nominee who will face Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 2012 election.
Buoyed by an NBC/Marist poll that showed him leading the field ahead of Tuesday's Iowa caucuses, Romney was upbeat about his chances in the Midwestern state that jilted him for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2008.
"This feels wonderful," Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, told Reuters as he worked a ropeline of supporters outside a grocery store in West Des Moines. "I tell you, the crowds and the enthusiasm couldn't be more wonderful."
The outcome of the caucuses is by no means certain, and polls have been volatile as Iowans deliberate over who to choose and the candidates jockey for position in the final days.
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The NBC/Marist poll of likely caucus participants put Romney on top at 23 percent, just ahead of the 21 percent for libertarian U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.
Rick Santorum, a social conservative and former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, has seen his prospects improve as influential evangelicals flock to his side. Santorum jumped to third place at 15 percent in the NBC/Marist poll, followed closely by Texas Gov. Rick Perry at 14 percent.
The top three or four finishers in Iowa on Tuesday will have momentum heading to New Hampshire on Jan. 10, while the rest will have to make tough decisions about whether to continue.
Powerful Surrogate
Romney brought a powerful surrogate to Iowa in Christie, who is popular with conservatives and might shore up Romney's right wing.
Christie, who has gained a following among Republicans for taking on New Jersey's political establishment, urged a crowd of about 1,000 people to "take nothing for granted" and get out to the caucuses to vote for Romney.
Christie praised Romney as the best hopes of defeating Obama, who he said has not made good on his 2008 pledge to bring "hope and change" to America.
"Let me tell you, after three years of Obama, we are hopeless and changeless, and we need Mitt Romney to bring us back," he said.
Christie told reporters he would not rule out joining Romney as his vice presidential running mate if Romney becomes the Republican nominee.
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