WASHINGTON -- With polls in Iowa predicting a tight finish in Tuesday's Republican caucuses, it would be expected that GOP presidential candidates would barnstorm the state on Tuesday in hopes of grabbing more support. So far, however, candidates' schedules are relatively thin.
Mitt Romney, the perceived frontrunner, will hold a grassroots rally in Des Moines in the morning. The rally is his only scheduled stop before a caucus night party at the Hotel Fort Des Moines at 8:45 p.m.
Rick Santorum will host a now-plausibly named Iowa Caucus Victory Party at 7:00 p.m. at the Stoney Creek Inn in Johnston. Santorum, who has ridden a late wave of support into a virtual three-way tie with Romney and Ron Paul, has no other events scheduled.
At the Rock The Caucus assembly in West Des Moines, which encourages young Iowans to vote, Michele Bachmann and Paul will both make morning appearances. The assembly is Bachmann's only event on the day; Paul has a 7:00 p.m. caucus night event at the Courtyard hotel in Ankeny.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will be doing a bus tour on Tuesday, with two stops in the morning, one at 9:00 a.m. in Muscatine and then at 11:30 a.m. in Burlington.
Doubling down on his "job creators" rhetoric, Rick Perry will hold two town halls with businesses in Des Moines. The first is at 1:00 p.m. with Principal Financial Group, followed by an event at Nationwide/Allied Insurance at 2:30 p.m. Perry will then hold a caucus night party at the Sheraton in Wes Des Moines.
Jon Huntsman is the only candidate completely not campaigning in the Hawkeye State; the former Utah governor is staking his chances on a major showing in the New Hampshire primary and will take part in four events there on Tuesday.
Candidates' schedules can, of course, change should the need arise. And it's hard to imagine that Romney, Santorum or even Paul won't do a bit of retail politicking in hopes of securing first place in the final tally. We'll update this post if their schedules change.
UPDATE 11:37 p.m. EST: The Perry campaign announced a new event on Monday night. The Texas governor will hold a campaign training event at 9:00 a.m. at the West Des Moines Sheraton before continuing to his previously announced stops.
UPDATE 12:08 a.m. EST: Newt Gingrich added two evening event to his Tuesday lineup. He will speak at the Black Hawk County caucus gathering in Cedar Rapids at 6:00 p.m. before moving on to his caucus night event at 10:00 p.m. at Des Moines' Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center.
UPDATE 8:27 a.m. EST: Rick Santorum will also appear at the Rock the Caucus assembly, going on stage at 10:35 a.m. The former Senator will then address the Des Moines Christian Assembly in Urbandale at 2:30 p.m.