Iowa in October

Would-be presidential candidates are flooding into the Hawkeye State over the next month to raise money, meet and greet voters and raise their profile in a state likely to once again be crucial to selecting the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees in 2008.

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (D) is traveling to Iowa on Sunday and will do several events around the state. In Des Moines, Kerry will raise money for Women for a Stronger America -- a group that has grown out of the 2004 "Women for Kerry" organization. He will then travel to Cedar Rapids for a fundraiser for Justin Shields, a candidate for the Cedar Rapids City Council.  And, as the Iowa Press Citizen reported earlier today, Kerry will end his day with a stop in Iowa City for a "grassroots organizational meeting."

Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh (D) is also scheduled to makes stops in Des Moines and Ames on Oct. 12. During that time he will raise dollars for Democratic state Reps. Janet Pederson and Lisa Heddens.

The Des Moines Register had a piece today on potential GOP candidates making trips to Iowa. Take special note of Tennessee Sen. Bill Frist's speech to the Iowa Republican Party on Oct. 22.  Frist riled some conservatives with his advocacy of limited stem-cell research, so how he is treated could tell us how much damage he has done to himself.

The Fix has compiled a short list of planned Iowa visits by GOP candidates:

* October 8: Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback is in Des Moines for Iowa Taxpayers Day.
* October 12-14: Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is in Des Moines for a National Governors Association Healthy America Forum.
* October 22: Frist speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa Reagan Day Dinner.
* October 29: Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney headlines a Scott County GOP fundraiser.

Are there any stops -- either public or private -- that the Register or this blog missed today?  If so, post in the comments section or shoot me an e-mail.

For all those possible contenders heading to Iowa this month, here's the extended weather forecast for Des Moines.