Polls Show Perry Gaining Momentum

The big story out of Iowa Wednesday was the CNN/Time poll, showing former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum was finally getting his turn to be the "not Mitt Romney" candidate (a position previously held by Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich).

That same polls showed Rick Perry still in 5th place in Iowa. A finish that some think could lead to the Texas governor dropping out of the GOP Presidential race.

But the vote in Iowa appears to still be very fluid. An NBC News/Marist Poll released this morning has Perry in 4th place, with Santorum (3rd place). Perry and Gingrich (who's in 5th place) are within striking distance of finishing 3rd.

And a new Rasmussen poll has Perry tied for 4th. Again, easily within striking distance of 3rd.

Now the downside of all those polls is that Perry could still easily finish in 5th place on caucus night. But for the first time in a long time, he's got a shot at showing he's still a viable candidate.

That's the chance the Perry campaign hoped for, when it began a barnstorming bus tour of Iowa earlier this month.

The campaign spent Thursday attacking the newly-popular Santorum. Below, you can watch his new ad going after Santorum and his earmarking tactics as U.S. Senator. It will be interesting to see how the tightening race for 3rd shifts what Perry says on the stump over the next few days.