Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney turned in the strongest debate performances while Governor Perry had a cringe-inducing mistake, according to Sen. Jim Demint, R-S.C., although he doubts the debate gaffe is a mortal wound to Perry’s campaign.

Asked on CBS, “did you cringe when you saw [Perry’s gaffe]?” Demint answered, “Yes, I did,” adding that “normally that [gaffe] would not be a problem, but obviously he had some problems in the previous debates.”