Caucus night at Santorum HQ

The balloting gets underway in Iowa in about 15 minutes, and we'll be updating you from Rick Santorum's election night soiree in the Des Moines suburb of Johnston.

Santorum is visiting a precinct minutes from here, shaking some last-minute hands. Here at the Stony Creek Inn, a rustic hotel with a bar dubbed the Loose Moose Saloon, his top aides are sounding cautiously optimistic as they wait to see how good of a night it will be.

John Brabender, his senior strategist and media consultant, reiterated that they've raised more money in the last week than the campaign had in the past six months.

He ticked off stats that for soaring online traffic and Twitter interest, and says that part of the coming strategy will depend on how the candidate field shakes out.

Check back here and on Twitter for caucus results and ensuing reaction from the Santorum camp.