Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

Posted Oct. 30, 2007 – It’s a statistical dead heat in Iowa between the two Democratic frontrunners.

In fact, Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) are running so close in Iowa that they’ve both decided to make the Midwest state their new home for awhile. 

Tonight they’ll be in Philadelphia with the other Democratic presidential candidates to participate in a live television debate. 

The stakes get higher each time the candidates square off.  Tonight, I’ll be watching to see if Obama can hit a homerun.  He’s overdue and can’t let another opportunity go by.    This week, he stepped up the heat on Clinton by openly attacking her plan for Social Security. Social Security may not be a sexy topic, but it’s the kind of issue that has given Obama some traction in early primary states.  He accused Clinton of failing to delineate a clear plan on how to fix the program.
 
I’ve been to Iowa for the caucuses,  and traveled with candidates across college campuses, corn fields and church services.  Campaigning in Iowa is no joke, and folks there aren’t always predictable.  You have to earn their support the hard way, one vote at a time.
 
The University of Iowa Hawkeye poll, released on Monday, showed that among likely Democratic caucus-goers Clinton was slightly ahead of Obama, 29 percent to 27 percent.  If you know anything about polls, you know that’s a statistical draw. Obama started running a new television ad in Iowa in which he says, “I don’t want to just put my finger out to the wind and see what the polls say. I want to bring the country together to solve a problem.”

Tonight, folks will be waiting to hear just how he plans to do that.