2/22/2012 10:23 PM ET
(RTTNews) - The four Republican White House hopefuls once again made their best case to the American people on Wednesday in the final nationally televised debate before a critical series of 13 primaries in a span of eight days.
Squaring off in the Republican Candidates Debate at the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona in the 20th debate of this marathon campaign season, the candidates did their best to distinguish themselves from a field that remains stubbornly fluid.
The race remains wide open, with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum are the nominal frontrunners - with Romney painted as a moderate and Santorum viewed as the more conservative alternative.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has been overshadowed by Santorum among the far right and has lagged behind in the race. The Libertarian Texas congressman Ron Paul continues to draw a fraction of the vote, although his almost isolationist thoughts on foreign policy effectively eliminate him as a viable GOP candidate.
Wednesday's debate was very civil - particularly compared to some of the more fiery encounters in recent months. The candidates appeared united in their desire to defeat President Barack Obama in November's general election.
The candidates addressed such topics as deficit reduction, earmarks, government bailouts, birth control, immigration and the nuclear threat from Iran.
No one really stood out of stumbled badly, setting the stage for the upcoming gauntlet of primaries.
Tuesday will see primaries in Arizona and Michigan, followed by the Washington caucus on March 3.
Then comes Super Tuesday on March 6, with caucuses scheduled in Alaska, Idaho and North Dakota, as well as primaries in Georgia, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia.
Romney leads the pack with 105 delegates, followed by Santorum at 71, Gingrich at 29, Paul at 18 and former U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman - who has since withdrawn from the race - has 2. The party nomination requires 1,144 delegates.
The two-hour debate was sponsored and televised by CNN and moderated by John King.
by RTT Staff Writer
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com