GOP Candidates Go At It Again Tonight

Nine Republican candidates for president will square off in Orlando, Florida tonight in the third GOP debate of this month.

Tonight’s lineup will feature Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain and Gary Johnson.

Johnson, the former New Mexico Governor who has largely been ignored thus far, is eager to prove he belongs with the rest of the field.

“Governor Johnson…will bring ideas and approaches to the challenges we face that would otherwise not be heard,” said campaign strategist Ron Nielson.

Meanwhile, the battle between Texas Governor Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for frontrunner status will once again figure to be a top story line.

In Tampa ten days ago, Romney was widely credited with turning in a good, but unspectacular performance. However, he benefitted greatly from the attacks waged by others in the room against Perry over a host of issues.

Bachmann and Santorum, each with their eye on Iowa, where social conservatives will turn out en masse, both accused Perry of abusing his power as Governor to pass an executive order requiring young girls in the state of Texas to receive HPV vaccinations. Perry admitted that he was wrong to circumvent the legislature, but cited studies that have produced links between the sexually-transmitted disease and cervical cancer.

In addition, Paul, the offbeat congressman who frequently espouses ultra-libertarian views, accused Perry of raising taxes in Texas. Though Perry responded that he has reduced taxes while in office, the attack seemed to rattle him slightly.

Perry’s Tampa showing may have hurt him in at least two key primary states. A new poll conducted by Winthrop (S.C.) University showed Romney trailing Perry by only three percentage points among definite voters. And in New Hampshire, a new Suffolk University poll showed Romney leading the runner-up, Paul, by 27 points.

Tune into the Fox News Channel at 9:00 pm for all of tonight’s action. You can also click here to watch online.

Poll: GOP Voters Don’t Consider Social Security A Ponzi Scheme

The majority of Republican voters disagree with Texas Governor Rick Perry’s assertion that Social Security is a “ponzi scheme,” according to new data put out by Public Policy Polling.

A survey released Wednesday found that 53 percent of likely Republican primary voters say that the entitlement program isn’t how Perry described it, whereas only 33 percent say it is. 14 percent replied that they were not sure.

Perry and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who is Perry’s closest rival among GOP candidates, butted heads Monday night over Perry’s rhetoric, with Romney accusing the Texas Governor of scaring senior citizens.

Still, despite apparent disagreement over Perry’s description, the same poll found that Perry still holds a double-digit lead over Romney, via a 31-18 percent margin. Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who made headlines over his response to a question of whether the government should help sick people who can’t afford insurance, received 11 percent of the vote. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich came in fourth, with 10 percent.

In a hypothetical two-way race between Perry and Romney, the former leads 49-37 percent.

Among Tea Party voters, the poll found that a third of them backed Perry. At 33 percent, the Texas Governor has a huge lead on the rest of the field in that department. However, Romney leads Perry 28-26 percent with non-Tea Party Republicans.

The poll was conducted September 8^th through the 11^th among 500 usual Republican primary voters.