MARQUETTE -- With Mitt Romney winning Tuesday night's Iowa Caucus, it may leave people wondering if he is now the automatic front-runner for the rest of the Republican race. But does the Iowa Caucus really matter that much in the whole scheme of the election process?

Most people would assume that winning the kick-off caucus is a step in the right direction for potential presidents. But according to some experts, that's not always the case.

"It doesn't really matter a great deal. What it does is help reduce the field of people running for president, but it really has a very little impact, unless, of course, you were supporting one of the candidates that's now dropped out," said Marquette Republican Party Chair, Dan Adamini.

So, winning the Iowa Caucus doesn't mean the GOP hopefuls are on the road to the White House.

If the Iowa Caucus isn't that big of a concern when it comes to who will be the next president, then why do people make such a big deal about it?

"Well, I think that people in Michigan and in other states have an interest on who eventually will become president. While this election process seems to go on forever, it's sort of a winnowing process, and it determines who will finally be the person selected to be the nominee of the Republican party," said retired NMU Political Science Professor, Robert Kulischeck.

Kulischeck also said that the caucus takes place in Iowa each year simply because of tradition.

But for residents here, the Michigan Primary, coming up on February 28, could be the start of the real race.

"Michigan's primary coming up also will be the beginning of the big contests with a lot of the delegates at stake," Adamini added.