Will Gingrich Jump-Start Iowa's Primary Season?

It's been quiet in Iowa but Newt Gingrich's tiptoe toward entering the wide-open race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination may finally perk things up. "That probably gets the other candidates to get serious about setting up a political operation here," says Steve Scheffler, president of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, a leading social-conservative group, and a Republican National Committee member. "Newt's step this week will get them to thinking that they better take comparable steps."

Four years ago, Iowa was overrun by Democratic and Republican hopefuls vying to win the nation's first presidential contest. This time around, it's been sleepier — until maybe now.