DES MOINES -- The end of University Avenue, on the east side of Des Moines, is the center of the Republican universe today, as at least six candidates made stops at the famous Iowa State Fair in a last-minute effort to win votes for tomorrow's straw poll 35 miles up the road in Ames. The reception each candidate received says a lot about the state of their campaigns and, potentially, what the future holds.

At an AARP forum on health care and financial security, the seats were packed for Congressman Duncan Hunter, the California Republican who, until the 110th Congress, chaired the House Armed Services Committee. Offering a plan to revamp American health care through the development and use of new medical protocols, Hunter won respectful applause. But it was clear the audience was waiting to ensure they had a seat for the candidate who followed next.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney bounded on stage next, along with his wife, Ann, and opened with one of his favorite jokes, wherein the governor asks his wife if she thought he'd get this far "in her wildest dreams." "Mitt," explains the story version of Ann, "you're not in my wildest dreams." The real Ann graciously took the mic. "If you haven't heard that before," she said, "you'll hear it again."

Using his ten minute opening remarks to describe his success with health care reform, Romney again cast himself as the outsider. "If there was ever a time we need a change in Washington, in my view, it's now," he said. Speaking against partisan bickering, Romney won quite compliments, muttered under the breath, of some, while hitting the right buttons with the older, mostly Republican crowd. "I ran against Ted Kennedy," he said at least twice during the day.

Illinois businessman John Cox, who had the misfortune of following Romney on stage at the AARP forum, spoke to a much smaller crowd. Yet his entrance, coupled with Romney's exit and the facilitation of other candidates, demonstrated the delicate choreography of this crowded primary season. As Romney was ushered out the back and Cox through a separate door, former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson stood in front of the building, taking questions and talking to voters. Hunter stood across the street. In the Various Industries building just a few hundred yards away, dozens of Iowans stood patiently in line, waiting for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who, hawking his latest book, was late for his 2pm scheduled arrival.

Twenty minutes later, appearing at the Des Moines Register's candidate soapbox, Romney was smooth and polished, very much the man in charge going into tomorrow's events in Ames. In an effort to undercut Romney's standing, two organizations -- Iowa Gun Owners and the National Association for Gun Rights -- offered two different fliers criticizing Romney's alleged support for some of Massachusetts' stronger anti-gun measures. Four of Romney's sons stood at various intervals around the perimeter as Romney sounded similar themes. "Washington is a mess," he said. "Washington is broken."

Following Romney on the stump, and, he hopes, in tomorrow's straw poll, Tommy Thompson hoped to earn the crowd's trust by claiming he was the only one who's given Iowa the attention he believes it deserves. Fresh off a 20-day tour of Iowa which took him to 110 cities and all 99 counties, Thompson reminded Iowa voters in an almost plaintive voice that he's been here every week since late December.

But for someone who has presumably given so many stump speeches, the former governor and Health and Human Services secretary uses phrases that seem awkward. Explaining the dramatic reduction of Wisconsin's welfare roles during his time in the executive mansion, Thompson somehow calls himself the "father of welfare," a term it would be hard to imagine a Republican voter embracing.

Like Romney, Thompson sought to encourage an end to partisanship, especially on health care. Unlike Romney, he offered a specific plan for Iraq, attacking both parties simultaneously. "The Republicans want to keep doing exactly what they've been doing all along," he yelled into the microphone. "And it's not going to work." He accused Democrats of being no better, instead advocating for a "cut and run" policy. In front of this crowd comprised mostly of GOP faithful, Thompson's call to offer Iraqis a chance to end American involvement in their country was not enthusiastically received.

Adding insult to injury, as Thompson attempted to close his speech with the traditional Irish prayer, the loudspeaker behind him blared to life. Someone was wanted in the administration building.

The fair is vintage Iowa. Over the course of its eleven-day run, virtually every candidate will spend a significant amount of time cruising up and down Grand Avenue and Rock Island Avenue searching for votes. Someone will win the Iowa Farm Bureau's drawing for $500 in free ethanol. And perhaps some lucky non-frontrunning candidate will win WHO's "Count Your Kernel" contest, in which Iowans drop kernels of corn into jam jars with each candidate's name.

Though an upset in the "Count Your Kernel" race, at least as of today, looks unlikely. By the latest count, Senator Hillary Clinton led the Democratic field with 624 kernel-votes, to John Edwards' 457 and Barack Obama's 410. On the GOP side, Romney led with 459 kernels, a big leap from Rudy Giuliani's 166 and Fred Thompson's 162.

Giuliani faces more problems than simply a lack of corn kernels. His lack of social conservative credentials bothers some voters, though there is a silver lining. One GOPer expressed his support for the mayor, only to hear his companion say to him, "He's for abortion, you know." "Yeah," the Iowan said, "but he's electable."