Republican presidential candidates are gathering in Florida Thursday for a debate that will play a critical role in shaping their support in the Sunshine State just as polls show the race tightening between the two front-runners.
The debate will be the third in as many weeks for the Republican field and a chance for the front-runners — former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry — to separate themselves from the rest of the crowded field.
Nine candidates will share the debate stage, instead of the eight who took part in the last two gatherings. Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a libertarian who has struggled to compete, won last-minute admittance to Thursday’s event after his support in recent polls reached the 1 percent threshold.
- Republican Presidential Debate
- When: Thursday, 9-11 p.m. Eastern
- Where: Orlando, Fla.
- Broadcast: Fox News
- Sponsors: Fox News, Google, Republican Party of Florida
The straw poll that follows the debate will be decided by 3,500 delegates who are in Orlando to watch the debate and hear the candidates speak at various conservative GOP events this week.
The debate will be critical for the candidates and delegates, because many of those voters have not yet made up their mind about who to support, said University of South Florida political science professor Susan MacManus.
Political observers predict fireworks between Perry and Romney Thursday as the two battle for first place. Recent polls showed that Perry’s meteoric rise since joining the race in August has begun to fade and that Romney is catching up to Perry not only in Florida but in the important bellwether state of South Carolina and elsewhere.
Political strategists say Perry’s image has been damaged by his opponents’ attacks in the last two debates, including questions about his description of Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme” and his attempt to require Texas parents to vaccinate their daughters against the sexually transmitted HPV virus.
“The opening of Perry’s campaign was remarkable for the way he shot up immediately,” said Ron Faucheux, president of Clarus Research Group, a polling firm. “Now, as he has become the focus of attention and is getting attacked from his opponents, some of his support is softening.”
Romney and Perry are now tied in Florida, according to a poll conducted by the Gainesville firm War Room Logistics for the Miami Herald. Each candidate earned 25 percent of the GOP vote, with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich placing a distant third with 9 percent.
Romney is also winning over GOP voters in South Carolina, which, with its concentration of Tea Party activists, was thought to favor Perry. A Winthrop University poll on Tuesday showed Perry leading Romney by just 3 percentage points in the Palmetto State.
National polls, meanwhile, showed Perry’s double-digit lead over Romney shrinking.
Also participating in Thursday’s debate are Rep. Ron Paul of Texas; Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota; former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania; former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and former pizza chain Chief Executive Officer Herman Cain of Georgia.
