COMMENTARY | Debates held early in the election cycle tend not to have the same impact as the later ones. However, 2011 may have broken the trend. Each of the four major GOP presidential debates this year had been a real revelation. Michele Bachmann gained a nice boost after a strong debate performance in New Hampshire. A lot were learned of frontrunner Rick Perry in the last two Republican debates.
In term of style, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is the most polished debater among the leading GOP candidates. His responses in the four debates were well-crafted and provided enough substance to earn him a good impression with Republican observers. Romney was especially strong in the last two debates. He managed to aggressively go after Rick Perry's record, while still looking presidential. The Michigan native may not win the GOP nomination, but it won't be because of poor debate skills.
For someone who has been running for office for as long as Rick Perry, his debate performance has been unimpressive. In his two debate appearances, the governor of Texas looked unprepared and sounded defensive in answering many of the questions. In fact, his Ponzi reference in regards to Social Security has given ammunition to both his GOP rivals and the Democrats. Perry's debate performance to this point is appropriately described by Washington Post's Chris Cillizza as "a work in progress."
The GOP candidate that has benefited the most from the four debates is Michele Bachmann. Her brilliant performance at the New Hampshire debate, in which Bachmann formally announced her candidacy, catapulted her to becoming a top-tier candidate. The Iowa native went on to win the crucial Iowa Straw Poll over Ron Paul. Bachmann managed another strong effort at the Tea Party-sponsored debate, robustly going after Rick Perry's HPV mandate and his record on illegal immigration. Bachmann's campaign clearly lives and dies by her performance in the debates.
The most substantive debater among the GOP candidates has been Newt Gingrich. The former House Speaker may be lacking in charisma, but his intellect is undeniable. When he is not taking jabs at President Obama and the media, Gingrich has been very good at giving substantive and policy-laden answers to debate questions. The Pennsylvania native is so confident in his debate ability that he is proposing to debate one-on-one with his fellow GOP candidates. It is unlikely that Gingrich will get his wish.
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