Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor whose bare-bones campaign has steadily climbed in the past six weeks, consolidated his lead over Romney in the Republican race, leading 31 percent to 25 percent.
BACK TO IOWA
Huckabee, who said earlier in the campaign he believes the Bible is literally true, returned to frigid Iowa on Thursday after flying to California to appear on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno.
In Burlington, Iowa, he made a veiled reference to Romney's relatively recent fervour as an opponent of abortion rights while talking about his own unwavering belief in the sanctity of unborn life.
"People here want consistency. They want somebody who believes something ... and not because they got it from a focus group or an opinion poll," said Huckabee, a Baptist minister whose rise has been fueled by support from Iowa's sizable bloc of religious conservatives.
Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts who has had to justify his Mormon faith during the campaign, defended his aggressive advertising campaign against Huckabee and Arizona Sen. John McCain, his top rival in New Hampshire, during a stop at a Des Moines financial company.
"I'm going to be forthright on differences on issues we have," he said. "Part of politics and a good campaign is defining those differences so people know where they line up."
The 2008 campaign is the most open presidential race in more than 50 years, with no sitting president or vice president seeking their party's nomination.
Iowa's opening contest in the nominating battle has traditionally served to winnow the presidential field of laggards and elevate some surprise contenders.
Record turnout is expected for the Democrats, surpassing the 124,000 Iowans who participated in 2004. Republicans could challenge their record of 87,000 caucus participants in 2000.
Sub-freezing temperatures were predicted for Thursday night, when Iowans will leave their homes and join their neighbours at a community gathering spot to publicly declare their support for a candidate.
Not everyone was happy with the focus on Iowa and next week's primary in New Hampshire.
"Defenders say both states take the process seriously, and participants can quiz contenders directly on a snowy sidewalk. Sorry, but that's not good enough," the San Francisco Chronicle said in an editorial on Thursday, proposing a revamping of the nominating system.
