The first GOP presidential debate for 2012 was held in South Carolina the evening of May 5, 2011. Participants were Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, businessman Herman Cain, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson.
And here’s who the focus group picked as the winner – almost unanimously: (H/T The Other McCain)
Herman Cain!
You can watch the full debate below. The debate was moderated by some of my favorite Fox News people: Juan Williams, Bret Bair, Chris Wallace and Shannon Bream. This is the most even-handed questioning I have ever seen in a public debate, especially Chris Wallace.
Part 1 of 4:
Part 2 of 4:
Part 3 of 4:
Part 4 of 4:
Here’s the latest poll by PPP, a Democrat polling firm, from 5/5 to 5/8:
| Romney | Huckabee | Trump | Palin | Gingrich | Paul | Bachmann | Pawlenty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 19 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 5 |
Herman Cain, Mitch Daniels and Rick Santorum had no score.
My candidate is Michele Bachmann. I don’t like any of the others in that poll. I absolutely cannot stand Romney, Huckabee, Trump, Gingrich, and Paul. I don’t think Palin should run. Pawlenty is highly qualified, but not conservative enough for me.
