Monday Night's Faith & Freedom Coalition Forum

Five prospective Republican candidates for President -- Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, Tim Pawlenty, and Buddy Roemer -- will address the conservative audience.

"The forum will mark the first time that multiple prospective 2012 contenders will share a stage in the nation's first voting state," writes Scott Conroy.

"Of all the potential candidates scheduled to speak at the forum on Monday night, Gingrich's performance will perhaps be the most closely watched."

The Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition has one of the most extensive political reaches of any interest group in Iowa. Organizational director Drew Klein said that the group made over 560,000 individual voter contacts in the state during the 2010 midterm elections.

Although fiscal matters dominated the discourse during the midterms and figured to play a leading role in the presidential race, Klein indicated that his group would work to ensure that social issues remained at the forefront of the discussion in Iowa over the next year.

'We want to see a true conservative candidate. We want a candidate who knows how to manage things financially, as well as someone who has the spine to stand up on moral issues,' he said. 'Certainly we know we're not going to find the perfect candidate, but I don't think we need to water down our message.'

The recent Obama administration decision not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court is expected to be a major issue at the forum.