The Democrats' event, the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, a few blocks away, drew comedian and radio host Al Franken, actress Sharon Stone, and Kerry's daughter Vanessa.

Romney is starting the process of presidential exploration with a biography well-known in GOP circles. A successful businessman, the son of a former Michigan governor who ran for president, and the man who shepherded the 2002 Winter Olympics, Romney appears presidential to some.

And as a man who managed to win as a Republican in the Democratic stronghold of Massachusetts, Iowa Republicans are naturally interested in Romney, Sporer said. Some even remember the televised debates from 1994, when Romney took on Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who is unpopular among Republicans.

"He was able to stand toe-to-toe with 'Trophy Head' - that's what we call Ted Kennedy here," Sporer said, in a reference to Kennedy's prominent visage. "We're very pleased to have him."