(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Hillary Rodham Clinton is the top 2008 United States presidential contender for Democratic Party supporters in Iowa, according to a review of the last four publicly released voting intention surveys. 30 per cent of decided voters in the Hawkeye State would vote for the New York senator in January's caucus.

Illinois senator Barack Obama is second with 27 per cent, followed by former North Carolina senator John Edwards with 26.8 per cent, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson with 7.7 per cent, Delaware senator Joe Biden with 5.6 per cent, Connecticut senator Chris Dodd with 1.9 per cent, and Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich with 0.8 per cent.

Since 1976, the Iowa caucus has kicked off the process of finding presidential nominees for the two major political parties in the United States. The caucus differs from a presidential primary because the casting of ballots in favour of a particular candidate is preceded by a "gathering of neighbours" where specific platform issues are discussed.

In 2004, Massachusetts senator John Kerry won the Democratic Iowa caucus with 38 per cent, followed by Edwards with 32 per cent, former Vermont governor Howard Dean with 18 per cent, Missouri congressman Dick Gephardt with 11 per cent, and Kucinich with one per cent.

Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research, December 31, 2007