Perry's Performance In Tuesday's Debate Could Shift Race, Again
LAS VEGAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Ashley Sewell, a conservative blogger from Arlington, got a last minute invitation to attend tonight's Republican presidential debate in Las Vegas. "I'm so exicted, absolutely!"
In August, Sewell went to South Carolina to watch Governor Perry throw his hat into the race. "When he announced his candidacy he was so polished, so put together, and everybody believed everything he said. As we've gone along, it's gotten a little off-kilter."
Political analyst John Weekley says the pressure for Governor Perry to do well in the debates is growing. "He's got to stand out in some way and distinguish himself from the other candidates."
Perry's popularity has dropped sharply. Weekley says now Perry has less time to bounce back, because the all-important Iowa caucus has been moved up one month to January 3. "It compresses how much time he has left to get his campaign back up in a winning position."
But weekley says the governor needs to boost his popularity sooner rather than later. He says from Thanksgiving until after Christmas, most people tune-out politics. "He basically has one month, maybe five weeks to get his campaign turned around."
Weekley says if Governor Perry doesn't do well in Iowa, he could very well see his campaign end.
