DES MOINES, Iowa — The man on the phone said he probably would not turn out for caucus night. Too far away.

Dixie Eklund was having none of that.

"I drove 22 hours to be here and help you guys," she said. "The whole nation is counting on you to get this right. If I can drive 22 hours, you can drive six minutes to get to the caucus."

The man laughed, "Fair enough."

If Mitt Romney is victorious in Tuesday's caucuses, it will be at least in part due to volunteers such as Palm Harbor's Eklund who have placed thousands of calls in recent days from a former Blockbuster video here.

Eklund, 41, has spent about $1,200 to be in wind-chapped Iowa for the final days of the campaign.

"We felt like we were sitting around Florida waiting for something to happen and I had the week off," she said.

Story here.