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Iowa Poll: Cain, Romney top field ahead of caucuses

By NBC's Alex Moe

DES MOINES, Iowa—The two candidates who least frequently visit Iowa are currently leading in the race to win the state's January caucuses, the new Des Moines Register poll showed Saturday evening.

Former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain leads the Republican presidential field in the Hawkeye State, narrowly surpassing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for the top spot, according to the poll conducted this past week.

The highly regarded Iowa Poll shows Cain with 23 percent and Romney at 22 percent among likely caucus-goers ahead of Jan. 3's caucuses, the first nominating contest of the 2012 cycle. Cain has seen his stock rise by 13 percentage points since the last edition of the poll; Romney only dropped one percent despite the fact that neither candidate has visited Iowa more than once since the weekend of August 12th.

The advantage for Cain and Romney seems unusual in a state that typically prides itself on retail politics.

"Iowans seem to be saying 'we've tried politicians, it's time to shift gears and try a CEO to run our country.'  The more desperate our country's financial situation, the more voters are looking for someone from the business world who can...