Republican nominees face straw poll in Iowa

Candidates for the Republican nomination in the 2012 presidential race are facing their first key test of grassroots party opinion with a straw poll in Iowa.



The poll is not an official primary but winning is considered a major boost.

The front-runner in national opinion polls, ex-Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, is not actively taking part.



And Texas Governor Rick Perry may upstage the Iowa poll by announcing his candidacy at a South Carolina event.



The first official Iowa primaries in the race for the White House are still several months away but the non-binding results of today’s straw poll in Ames,



Iowa may play an important role in shaping which Republican will take on Barack Obama.