Eight of the candidates for the Republican presidential ticket faced off in a nationally televised debate last night. Notably absent was Texas governor Rick Perry – who neatly sidestepped the fray by not officially declaring his candidacy until tomorrow. But for those who made the scene -Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty, Ron Paul, Herman Cain and Rick Santorum – the stakes were high. Campaign watchers have predicted that it’s time for the gloves to come off in this fairly polite race, and last night they did, at least for a few contenders – Minnesotans Bachmann and Pawlenty went toe-to-toe for much of the first portion while the less scrappy watched from the sidelines. Gingrich spent more time sparring with moderators over the questions, while front-runner Romney emerged relatively unscathed. The candidates’ performances last night - and the results of the Ames Straw Poll to be held tomorrow - might finally shake some of the laggers out of the race for good. But once the dust has settled on this rodeo, will late-comer Perry gallop in and steal the show?
Guests:
Kyle Kondik, Communications for University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. Kondik is attending the Iowa debate
Ron Nehring, Former chairman of the California Republican Party and Republican strategist, commentator and lecturer.
Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California