By Max Greenwood

ANKENY, Iowa — More than half-an-hour after caucusing was set to begin, many Iowa voters are still waiting in line to get into the precincts – let alone cast their votes – a sign that this year’s contest in Iowa is shaping up to be one of the most heated in recent memory.

Even in Ankeny, a town of about 50,000 just north of Des Moines, Democratic caucus-goers waited eagerly to register to caucus in an already-overflowing banquet hall. One volunteer at the precinct said the location had been crowded in past years, but said the turnout this time was “unexpected.”

The Iowa caucuses are shaping up to be a tight race between Republican frontrunners Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, and Democratic frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. A Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll released Saturday put Trump at a 28 percent to 23 percent lead over Cruz, while Clinton led Sanders by only three points.