Hillary Clinton’s lead in Iowa is statistically nonexistent, leaving in a virtual tie the top three Democrats running in the nation’s first electoral test, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll. On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee has sprinted past Rudy Giuliani to be within striking distance of Mitt Romney.

Many voters, in both Iowa and another early-test state, New Hampshire, have either not made up their minds or say they might change their minds.


CBS News:

(CBS) Democrats and Republicans are both headed toward heated showdowns in Iowa, where, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll, Hillary Clinton holds a statistically insignificant lead over John Edwards and Barack Obama, and GOP hopeful Mitt Romney finds his long-held position as the state’s front-runner challenged by a surging Mike Huckabee.

The situation in Iowa, where nominating caucuses are scheduled for Jan. 3, is in stark contrast to New Hampshire, where Clinton and Romney continue to hold large leads among those likely to vote in the state’s first-in-the-nation primary, which could come only days after Iowa’s contests.

But in both states, large chunks of voters have yet to make up their minds, meaning the results of the contests that will kick off the 2008 nominating season are still difficult to predict.

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