"There's not much for him to gain" from winning the straw poll, explained Christian Grose, a political science professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. But Romney has a lot to lose if he can't claim a decisive win over the so-called second-tier candidates who are scrambling to gain attention from the hundreds of national media covering the straw poll.

Three of the GOP presidential contenders — Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson — appear to be Romney's toughest opposition in Iowa. The others in the running are businessman John Cox, California Rep. Duncan Hunter, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo.

Diane Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University in Ames, said there may be more interest in the straw poll's second- and third-place finishers than in Romney, especially if Brownback, Huckabee or Tommy Thompson are able to significantly close the gap with Romney.

For those candidates who don't finish in the top three, it could mean an end to their campaigns, she said, noting some are already talking about the straw poll being make-or-break for their presidential bids.

The 10 declared GOP candidates, plus Fred Thompson, will appear on the straw-poll ballot, according to Mary Tiffany, the communications director of the Iowa Republican Party.

The straw poll began in 1979 and this year is anticipated to attract some 35,000 Republicans from around the state. The $35 ticket required to vote in the straw poll that's sold by the party is just the beginning of the expense to a campaign. Although Iowans can buy their own tickets, it's typically the campaigns that pick up the expense, along with chartering buses to bring in supporters from around the state.

Candidates who want to be taken seriously at the straw poll set up huge tents outside the arena, where they provide barbecue and other food as well as entertainment to keep their supporters occupied and to attract new interest.

Romney's campaign wouldn't say how much it had invested in Iowa for the straw poll, but the amount is expected to be less than the $2 million that publisher Steve Forbes spent in 1999. Forbes finished second to then Texas Gov. George W. Bush, who went on to become president. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who later dropped out of the race, came in ninth.

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