A three-way Republican primary battle is taking shape for the right to challenge Democratic incumbent Secretary of State Michael Mauro.

Mike Huckabee compares U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson to Judas for supporting an abortion compromise to health care reform. Iowa conservatives label him “Benedict Nelson.”

Poor fundraising by the National Republican Congressional Committee is good news for U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Des Moines, and bad news for the five men currently hoping to unseat him.

On Tuesday, the public will get a chance to sound off on the plan to move Guantanamo detainees to a prison just across the Mississippi River from Clinton.

A recovering economy, a banking system that never collapsed, a surprise climate-change agreement in Copenhagen and some sort of health care reform legislation are all proof President Barack Obama had a good first year.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (Photo: Lauren Victoria Burke/WDCPIX.com)

Iowa’s senior senator is the ranking minority member of the Senate Finance Committee, putting him in a powerful position to shape any bill put forward to remake the country’s ailing health care system. It also puts him in the crosshairs of interest groups pushing for passage of a bill that includes a government-run insurance option, something Grassley has vowed to oppose.

Grassley has made a career out of preaching bipartisanship and taking on causes with broad appeal, such as financial corruption and government waste.

Over the years, he has cultivated an aura of invincibility across Iowa. He has rarely faced a difficult re-election campaign in his nearly three decades in office, and recent polling makes him a safe bet to win again in 2010.

Groups like MoveOn.org and Health Care for America Now, which support a public health insurance option, have been trying to pressure Grassley for months, attending his town halls, calling his office and pushing him to back away from his opposition. But can these groups really have an impact on an elected official who is widely considered unbeatable?

The key, leaders say, is convincing Grassley that he is not representing his constituents. Even if Grassley is likely to win re-election, activists hope that he still pays attention to the interests and opinions of voters.

“I give Sen. Grassley enough credit that I don’t think his sole motivation is re-election,” said Ben Allen, an Iowa organizer for the liberal group MoveOn.org. “I do think he tries to represent the best interest of Iowans. And he does listen to constituents. So if we can convince him that enough of his constituents want this and believe it is good for Iowans, he’ll move toward Iowans. I just don’t see him has a cold politician that only wants to get re-elected. Even if he is invulnerable politically, I don’t think that means he won’t change his mind.”

Groups like Health Care for America Now, a coalition of more than 1,000 progressive and labor groups representing 30 million people, have organized petition drives, put together public rallies and purchased advertising on television and radio with the hope of convincing Grassley that Iowans support a public option. According to a poll conducted by The Des Moines Register earlier this year,56 percent of Iowans support creation of a public plan, compared with just 37 percent who oppose the idea.

“We really respect Sen. Grassley as someone who listens to his constituents and who does what Iowans want,” said Sue Dinsdale, an organizer with Iowa Citizens Action Network (ICAN), which is affiliated with the Health Care for America Now Campaign. “It feels like on this issue, he just hasn’t quite gotten it yet. I think if we keep reminding him that this is what Iowans want he could still change his mind.”

The spotlight on Grassley will only grow brighter in the weeks and months ahead, as the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee passed sweeping health care legislation Wednesday, putting the ball squarely in the court of the Finance Committee. It has jurisdiction over how to pay for health care reform, can write tax legislation, and has authority over Medicare and Medicaid.

Grassley’s decision to position himself as the face of the opposition to a public option may not cost him re-election, but it could still hurt him politically, said Amy Logsdon, program director for ICAN.

“People could see a disconnect between the popular perception of Charles Grassley as the advocate of the people and this person who is now not acting in our best interest,” she said. “If he doesn’t change, I think this issue is important enough and on the radar of the average Iowan enough, that it could have an impact on his perception in the state.”

Whether or not he ever reverses course to support a public option, Logsdon said organizations like ICAN will continue to pressure Grassley, if for no other reason than to signal to opponents around the country that are vulnerable that they mean business.

“Actions have consequences, and whether or not we will persuade him to change his mind and whether or not what we say creates some political opportunity in the future in Iowa, we need for his remarks on a national stage that are hostile to the position of the people of his home state to be answered,” she said. “We need his colleagues from around the country to realize that this is what happens when you don’t listen to the voice of the people.”

With his mother, Karen Koch, he traveled a half-hour to see Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in Washington, Iowa last week and listen to the presidential candidate give an address entitled, “Reclaiming the American Dream.” 

Calling Obama “a great man,” he said:

“He says what he thinks and what other people don’t want to hear but what he wants them to hear … he’ll bring all the people from the war back and we can trust him.”

Koch also told the Iowa Independent that he wasn’t going to sell his recently acquired Barack Obama autograph, he was keeping it.

More Iowa Independent reporting from this event can be found at: Obama, Loebsack Campaign in Washington, IA.

More videos, including Obama’s comparison of his and Clinton’s health care reform transparency and an outline of his education plan are at: Obama’s Health Care Plan: ‘Not Behind Closed Doors.’

And I.I. reporter Dien Judge has a video, Obama Criticizes Edwards’ Senate Record, from a campaign stop in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

From Obama earlier today:

“John, yesterday, said he didn’t believe in 527s. Those are these independent groups that raise money without disclosure … We found out today that there’s an outside group that’s funding $750,000, just bought three-quarters of a million dollars worth of television time, and the individual running the group used to be John Edwards’ campaign manager.”

This video is John Edwards’ first response to the questions from Obama on the so-called 527s or soft money groups:

He was asked about Obama’s 527 criticism following an event in Lisbon, Iowa, and said, “I found out about this probably after most of you did through the news media.”To begin the brief press conference following his speech and question and answer period, Edwards introduced a stimulus package to boost the economy.

He was joined at the event by James Lowe, Des Moines attorney Roxanne Conlin, and the Lakey family.