Mitt Romney is in an unfamiliar spot: front runner, specifically in Iowa where recent polls show him leading his Republican rivals, writes the Boston Globe's James Pindell and Scott Helman. Romney's early success is due in "large part to his aggressive and well-organized campaign operation" in the state. Most prominent is Romney's organizational advantage, built by years of "courting key party players, doling out campaign cash to county GOP groups and local candidates." These strengths will be needed for the Aug. 11 Ames straw poll that will "set the course of the race here for the rest of the year."

Romney is helped in Iowa by some weakness from his rivals: John McCain skipped the state entirely in 2000 and his recent "championing of immigration reform has cost him conservative support," though he does have significant organization. Rudy Giuliani has nine Iowa staff members and hasn't decided whether to participate in the Ames poll.

Giuliani is the "most socially liberal Republican presidential candidate in more than a generation," but so far he's winning the support of social conservatives, writes The Politico's David Paul Kuhn. An analysis from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that 44 percent of social conservatives believe Giuliani has the "best chance" of becoming president. About 19 percent of them say McCain "comes closest" to their position on abortion but fewer believe he has the best chance of becoming president. "These calculations about electability are helping propel Giuliani over McCain among social conservatives."

The New York Times' Michael Powell writes that Giuliani, who has softened his campaign style, is now a disciplined candidate who stays on message and often flashes a smile. The New York Sun's Jill Gardiner reports the former mayor is fundraising in his hometown today but avoiding Manhattan to show that his supporters "aren't just fat cats," said former Giuliani speechwriter Fred Siegel.

Greenwich, Conn., has "joined New York, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley as must stops on the presidential fund-raising tour," reports the New York Times' Alison Leigh Cowan. The area is home to a booming hedge-fund industry. Filings for the first quarter reveal more than $1 million given from Greenwich ZIP codes, roughly two-fifths of the entire total those same areas gave for the 2004 presidential race. An additional $1 million is believed to have been raised since then. "In one notable break with the past, Greenwich money is increasingly going to Democrats, a reflection of national trends."

In Iowa today Barack Obama will unveil his health care plan that would guarantee coverage for all Americans by the end of his first term as president, reports the Des Moines Register's Jason Clayworth. Obama has declined to offer details but said prevention and better management of chronic illness can save billions.

Get these and today's other elections stories at RCP's Politics and Elections page.

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