SNEAK PEEK: 'Faith in America'

December 5, 2007— -- 29 Days Until the Iowa Caucuses

It goes without saying that one should not talk about politics and religion at the dinner table, especially during the holiday season.

But in a presidential campaign, common practices are often tossed out the window when it gets down to crunch time.

Mitt Romney tackles both topics in a major address on the broad issue of faith in America and of course, his own Mormon faith on Thursday at 10:30 am ET at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, TX.

The speech is entitled "Faith in America" and Romney's campaign is billing it as "an opportunity for Governor Romney to share his views on religious liberty, the role religious tolerance has played in our nation's progress and how the Governor's faith would inform his presidency."

The speech comes just days after a Des Moines Register poll shows Mike Huckabee as the new frontrunner in Iowa, with a five point lead over Romney (29-24 percent). That same poll found that Huckabee leads Romney 38 percent to 22 percent among those surveyed who consider themselves born-again Christians. An ABC News poll from this summer found that 39 percent of Republican said they were "uncomfortable" with the idea of a Mormon president

Romney advisers tell ABC News' John Berman that the former governor felt "time has come to address the issue." Aides insist that the poll number did not influence their decision to give this speech now, and said that that decision was Romney's alone.

The speech is a gamble that Romney is willing to take with less than a month remaining before the Iowa caucuses.

Best case scenario for Romney: the speech sheds some light on Romney's Mormon faith and how that plays a role in his life and addresses voters' concerns enough to stop Huckabee's forward progress in the Hawkeye State. Worst case scenario, Romney shines a giant spotlight on exactly the wrong issue and causes voters think more about his religion and whether that affects their vote.