With the Iowa caucus less than 24 hours away, Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton find themselves in a statistical dead heat, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp poll released yesterday.

Putting on a full-court press in the hours before the caucus, Obama recently told a group of black voters in South Carolina that he didn't believe race would be a factor in his winning in Iowa, according to The New York Times.

The population of Iowa is 95 percent white. In recent months, Obama's camp made appearances at several black churches across the state, hoping to draw support while also working to attract votes from the state's majority-white population. (See also: It's Obama Time! Who's Winning With Black Voters Now?)

According to the CNN poll, Clinton leads with 33 percent of Democratic voters followed closely by Obama at 31 percent. Former Sen. John Edwards is in third place with 22 percent.

Yet another recent poll, this one conducted by the Des Moines Register, actually has Obama leading Clinton 32 percent to 25 percent. That poll cites Obama's rise to an influx of first-time caucus-goers, which includes "a sizeable bloc of political independents."

Clinton is scheduled to make a closing pitch to Iowans this evening in a two-minute televised appeal where she'll tell them to "take the first step" toward changing the direction of the country by voting for her, reports The Associated Press.

Both Obama and Edwards were also making last-minute pitches. Obama has a two-minute ad scheduled to run during tonight's evening news, and Edwards purchased a full-page ad in the Des Moines Register.

There's also a battle at the top on the Republican side of the poll, as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leads with 31 percent, trailed closely by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with 28 percent. Former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee is in third place with 13 percent of those polled.

The Advocate is questioning whether the Iowa caucuses will shake up the GOP as Republican hopeful Mike Huckabee appeared on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday to explain his views on homosexuality, which he reportedly previously equated with pedophilia and sadomasochism. 

(See also: Will Clinton and Obama Push to Get Gay Rights Bill Through Senate?)

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