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Oops, I just realized that I messed up the dates regarding the primaries, sorry. The presidential election is 3 years from now, on November 6, 2012. The primaries, however, run from January to March 2012, starting with the Iowa Caucus with a process that starts out months before the actual vote takes place due to the candidates traveling to Iowa, visiting communities, having rallies, hall meetings, etc. Lots of media attention is focused on Iowa, and that caucus is followed within a week by the New Hampshire primary and later, other primaries.

And don't forget that before the caucus there is the Iowa Straw Poll that will take place in Ames in August, 2011, less than two years from now. Winning the straw poll is very significant because it allows for better fund raising and higher name recognition, giving the candidate increased status for about 5 months prior to the primary season beginning in early 2012. So the process starts in less than 2 years.

I'm just trying to figure out how I got the date of November 3, 2011 in my post. I think I totally mixed up the date of the general elections held in November and the recent Iowa Caucus of 2008, which took place on January 3rd. If I am not mistaken, the 2012 Iowa Caucus is going to be on January 16, but I'm not sure if this is a definite date yet.