Open Thread: GOP Presidential Candidates Campaign in Florida Ahead of Thursday's Debate

September 19th, 2011 11:28 AM

This week, Republican presidential candidates are headed to Florida for a number of high-profile events, including CPAC, a straw poll, and perhaps most importantly, another debate, this time hosted by Fox News and Google at Florida CPAC.

The spotlight is again expected to be on Gov. Rick Perry, despite his pummeling by other candidates last week. Do you think he can recover from last week's criticism for his stances on immigration, health care, and Social Security, especially in a state with such large retirement communities? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Following the debate on Thursday, conservatives will meet up for CPAC in Orlando, followed by a Republican straw poll on Saturday.

According to the Washington Examiner:

Many of the 3,500 straw poll voters haven't made up their minds about the candidates yet, said Florida GOP spokesman Brian Hughes, so they will be watching the debate performances closely.

"These are people who are coming to see which campaign has the right message and the right organization to win," he said.

At the debate, it can be expected that former Gov. Mitt Romney will strengthen his Social Security/"Ponzi scheme" attacks on Perry. Bachmann has continued the fight against mandating Gardasil vaccines over the past week, and many other candidates could again raise the issue of Perry allowing illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition.

Who do you expect will do well in Florida this week?