Dubuque, Iowa

Jeff Walker, a self-employed, self-described social conservative from Dubuque, has nothing but praise for former House speaker Newt Gingrich. “I’ve kind of liked Gingrich all along,” says Walker as he waits in the warehouse headquarters of Giese Manufacturing. “I liked him when he was speaker.” But Walker’s not sure who he’ll support in January’s Republican caucus.

Indeed, Walker and the rest of the crowd at Giese aren’t even here to see Gingrich. This is a Mitt Romney event, only his fourth visit to a state where social conservatives dominate the GOP. While Romney has hovered at around 20 percent in Iowa polls since May (a consistent second place), Gingrich has been stuck in the single digits for most of his campaign.