POLITICO's Dave Levinthal reports:

Eight presidential candidates have been invited to speak about abortion at a forum that 2008 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee will host next month in Iowa, the conservative group Citizens United confirmed to POLITICO. The event will be formally announced later today.


At the gathering, Citizens United, best known for the eponymous Supreme Court decision that last year altered the nation's campaign finance landscape, will also screen a documentary about abortion that features Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and current Fox News program host.

"Every conservative candidate for president will be fighting to come to this event," said David Bossie, Citizens United's president. "I think the campaigns see the value to be at a forum, in Iowa, three weeks before the caucus, standing next to Mike Huckabee. This is a unique opportunity."

Bossie declined to yet name names, but says two GOP presidential candidates, including one "top tier" candidate, has so far confirmed their attendance to him. Invited presidential candidates are: Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum.

Asked about Romney, who has at different times supported and opposed abortion rights, Bossie says he hopes the former Massachusetts governor detours to Iowa, where he's at times made himself scarce.

" Mitt Romney needs more help on this issue than other candidates because of his background," said Bossie, who noted that both Huckabee and Citizens United as an organization have no plans to endorse a candidate before or during the forum.

The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 14 at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines. The film, titled "Gift of Life," is described by Citizens United as "an inspirational documentary that explores the sanctity of life as a moral issue and looks at the lives of individuals on the front lines of the pro-life movement in America." Watch the trailer here.