Romney Pushes for Decisive Win in Iowa Home Stretch

Romney, who spent millions in Iowa in 2008 only to lose, did not campaign hard in the state until the last week.

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He picked up the endorsement on Sunday of the Quad-City Times, which praised his business background as a former head of a private equity firm and said he had the best chance of beating Obama.

"We do not want to see the president face a token challenge in 2012," the newspaper said. "Romney presents a far more serious challenge than any other caucus contender."

Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, has surged past former House Speaker Newt Gingrich into third place in polls, building momentum in the final days of a close race that has seen a series of candidates rise and fall.

He urged supporters at a coffee shop in Sioux City to send a "shock wave" across the country by giving him an upset win.

"Lead this country. That's what I ask the people of Iowa. Lead, don't defer," Santorum said. "Don't put forward somebody who isn't good enough to do what is necessary to change this country."

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, who could face the end of the line if she does badly in Iowa, went to church to woo the critical Christian conservative vote, which has been split between her, Santorum, Gingrich and Rick Perry.

Bachmann has sunk to the bottom of polls and is beset by a lack of money and staff desertions.

"On this Jan. 1, 2012, I admonish you, don't for one moment think that your adversity is one that cannot be scaled," Bachmann told churchgoers at a service in Oskaloosa, making biblical references to underdog Israelites defeating their enemies.

'A LOT LIKE BUSH'