The US state of Iowa is best known for kicking off America's presidential nominating contest every four years, but<br />this election cycle, the Midwestern state is in the spotlight as a key battleground in the November polls.<br /><br />To further demonstrate the important role the state stands to play in the upcoming ballots, Barack Obama, the current US president, and Paul Ryan, the newly-named vice presidential pick of Mitt Romney, Obama's presumed rival, both arrived in the Hawkeye state.<br /><br />Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halkett reports from Des Moines.
