While the most open GOP race in several presidential election cycles dominates the political news coverage, the state of Iowa continues to be a stumbling block for Hillary Clinton’s coronation as the Democratic nominee. Clinton has dominated in the national polls throughout the year as well as in most state polls, with the exception of the other leading candidates’ home states.

Iowans, however, are not yet convinced by the Clinton campaign, and perhaps that is because they have had a strong look at all the candidates, and are not relying so much on name recognition when being asked for whom they would vote. Clinton has struggled to open up the double-digit lead in Iowa that she enjoys nearly everywhere else across the nation.

The latest Rasmussen survey demonstrates a continuation of this trend. In a survey of 1,156 likely Democratic caucus attendees on November 26-27, Clinton, at 27 percent, is in a dead heat with John Edwards (25 percent), and Barack Obama (24 percent). Obama received a swarm of media buzz a week ago when an ABC / Washington Post poll showed the Illinois junior Senator with his first lead in a public poll in the Hawkeye State since July. The truth is no candidate has demonstrated any kind of momentum significant enough to warrant the kind of ‘breakthrough’ status Mike Huckabee has achieved on the Republican side of the ticket in Iowa.

John Edwards has not led in a public poll since late August (Time Magazine), but either Edwards or Obama has trailed Clinton by just six points or less in 11 of 13 public polls of Iowans released since September.

The new Rasmussen poll measures Bill Richardson’s support at 10 percent, followed by Joe Biden at 4 percent while 8 percent are undecided.

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