Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has been the steady 25 percent of Republican voters’ choice for most of the political season. He has been criticized for flip-flopping on such issues as abortion, federal spending for stimulus and especially RomneyCare, his Massachusetts mandatory health insurance coverage law.

Romney’s campaign strategy was to basically skip Iowa and concentrate on winning big in New Hampshire, where he has a natural “neighbor” (Massachusetts) advantage. He has also largely avoided the news media and given very few interviews.

Romney’s debate performances have been strong. However, as the Iowa caucuses closed in, he became snitty with a news reporter who was interviewing him and there are signs that his campaign is now worried about Newt Gingrich beating him in Iowa. He appears to be ramping up his effort in the Hawkeye State. In the latest Iowa poll, he was in third place with 16 percent.