And while Romney hasn’t built the battleship-sized caucus organization he had in 2008, none of his GOP challengers has, either.

It’s as if the less Romney does in Iowa, the more inviting the state becomes.

“The opportunity’s still there [for Romney] because, frankly, nobody’s got a ground game,” said former Iowa House Speaker Christopher Rants, who supported Romney in 2008.

“I can’t figure out what they’re up to, because they have had a window,” Rants said of Romney’s campaign. “They could have come in three weeks ago and just knocked Perry out in Iowa. They chose not to.”