Of the original combatants from that May 5 meeting in Greenville, S.C., only two, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum, remain. There have been four lead changes in national polls, two candidates drop out, four candidates join the field and billions of pixels poured out by reporters and pundits trying to make sense of it all.
Tonight, that all culminates here on the western edge of Iowa with the 13th showdown -- the last chance for candidates to make their cases before voters start the process of picking a presidential nominee. Even in a cycle that has been shaped by televised debates like no other, the stakes for the candidates this evening are enormous.
DEBATE TONIGHT:
Air Time: Thursday, December 15 at 6pm PT (9pm ET) on Fox News
Live Stream: FoxNews.com
Participants: Bachmann, Gingrich, Huntsman, Paul, Perry, Romney, Santorum
On Twitter: #iowadebate is the hashtag for the debate.