>>> before we get to the granite state there is iowa , always the first to vote, every four years. pundits question why iowa plays such a big part in america's political life and this year is no different in an era when social networking and media are playing a bigger role than ever before in how campaigns are conducted. andrea mitchell now has a look at this year's roller coaster contest.
>> you made me a better candidate.
>> reporter: rick santorum is the latest republican to surge in the run-up to iowa 's caucus. it is the retail campaigning that makes iowa famous.
>> we have done 360 some town hall type meetings and done all 99 counties, did that a while ago and a lot of that is paying off.
>> reporter: will santorum suffer the fate of presidents huckabee --
>> i love iowa a whole lot.
>> reporter: the last republican to win here. iowa did propel a little known southern governor to the democratic nomination in 1976 .
>> jimmy carter , clearly the winner, scored well, came from nowhere.
>> reporter: and established that barack obama could attract white voters.
>> you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do.
>> reporter: but iowa republican caucusgoers don't have a very good track record for picking presidents. ronald reagan didn't win the caucuses in 1980 . future president bush finished third in 1988 , and john mccain , the eventual nominee, came in fourth here four years ago. so why should iowa matter?
>> by no means is it the ticket to victory but it is a winnowing out process to get to the final three or four. so the whole country can watch the big game .
>> reporter: the wrap on iowa , it doesn't represent the rest of the country, too white, too evangelical, too rural. still here, politics are personal.
>> that's one of the reasons we came here today, just to see what rick had to say. and narrow down our choice.
>> it is the first time that real activists, real americans, in the heartland of the country, get a chance to look at these candidates.
>> reporter: people are paying attention, even democrats like diane munn is showing up to hear what the candidates have to say.
>> get up close and personal and meet all these people and talk to them and if you love politics, this is the place to be.
>> reporter: the question now is whether the millions of dollars spent on tv ads this year, half of it negative, have changed all that, and whether the old-fashioned iowa caucus has lost its political innocence. kate?
>> andrea mitchell in des moines tonight, thanks so much.
Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/45842927/
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