Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

GOP Presidential Debate Tonight - the Tea Party Republican debate from Tampa, Florida will be broadcast live beginning at 8:00 PM ET on CNN. You can read more here.

Look to see Michelle Bachmann try hard to be a player - she has dropped like a stone since the announcement of Rick Perry.

Otherwise, it will be humorous to watch Republicans spare over the importance of Social Security; a program they have long wanted to "fix". Watch this exchange closely after Perry stepped in it during the last debate. Keep in mind this debate is in Florida where issues such as medicare and social security are paramount.

Politico.com has their 6 things to watch in tonight's debate here.

A poll released by CNN today shows Perry is maintaining his lead among republican presidential candidates with 30%, followed by Romney with 18%. Sarah Palin who has not even announced she is running, comes in third at 15%. CNN.com has more here.

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Pawlenty Endorses Romney - the former Minnesota Governor who dropped out of the Republican race for the presidential nomination has joined the Romney campaign as co-chair. TPM.com has more here.

Jumping on the anti-Perry platform Pawlenty said “Gov. Romney wants to fix Social Security. He doesn’t want to abolish it or end it,” Pawlenty said. “Gov. Perry has said in the past that he thought it was ‘failed."

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European debt Woes Drive Market Down - stock markets were falling across Europe this morning as fears continue Greece will not be able to avoid a default. Rumors persist three of the largest banks in France are about to be downgraded by a major credit agency this week. The Washington Post has more here.

This is sure to impact U.S. markets. Stay tuned...

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It's Obama's Economy Now - a Hill.com poll show that 50% of most likely voters believe President Obama's policies have hurt the economy. Only 35% feel his policies have helped.

Among Independents, a key group to the 2012 election outcome, 52% believe Obama has hurt the economy and only 27% believe his policies have helped. TheHill.com has more here.

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GOP Favored to Win Both Special Elections Tomorrow - Republican Bob Turner is ahead by 6 points over Democrat David Weprin. The district 9 seat in New York became open when Democrat Anthony Weiner resigned.

In Nevada's 2nd district, Republican Mark Amodei is ahead by 13 points over Democrat Kate Marshall. RollCall.com has more here.

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No Leaks Reported at France Nuclear Site Explosion - a nuclear waste treatment facility located in southern France experienced an explosion which reports indicate killed one person and seriously injured another. The site does not have a nuclear reactor. Reuters.com has more here.

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