GOP field back under the TV lights

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Mitt Romney was off the campaign trail Saturday afternoon, preparing for back-to-back debates that could put significant roadblocks in his campaign for the Republican nomination or reinforce the notion he’s the enviable nominee.

The Republican presidential candidates are meeting for the first time in three weeks and it’s a doubleheader event. The first debate is at 9 p.m. Saturday, sponsored by ABC News and Yahoo! News. The second is 9 a.m. Sunday, hosted by NBC’s “Meet the Press” and Facebook.

{mosads}The last time the candidates were on stage together was before the Iowa caucuses, when Newt Gingrich was leading the polls and Michele Bachmann was still in the race.

Now Romney is facing the pressure that comes with his frontrunner status. And he’ll be standing on stage next to Rick Santorum, who’s seen his campaign surge since his surprise finish in Iowa, where he and Romney virtually tied, with the former Massachusetts governor leading by a mere 8 votes.

With so much at stake, arguments are inevitable, it’s more a question of who will attack whom.

Romney, who had one event Saturday morning but spent the rest of the day huddled with advisers for debate prep, is leading by double digits in polling of the state. But some observers in New Hampshire believe the race for second or third place is wide open.

“As for the other candidates, any of them can finish second, anyone can finish fifth,” said Fergus Cullen, a former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party.

But it’s Romney who will be the likely target, although Santorum has come under fire, too. 

Ron Paul and Rick Perry have both attacking his spending record. Paul called Santorum a “liberal,” citing his votes to raise the debt ceiling and Perry criticized the former senator’s support for earmarks. Both could use those arguments again Saturday and Sunday.

Gingrich is a strong debater and could look to the debates to give his campaign some much-needed momentum. The former speaker saw his candidacy plunge with his fifth place finish in Iowa and, despite his vow to run a positive campaign, has criticized Romney and Santorum in recent days.

Huntsman has staked his candidacy on New Hampshire and, when asked his debate strategy on Saturday, said: “You’ve got to be yourself and speak from the heart.”

If he could get a game-changer moment in either debate, it could help him surge like Santorum did in Iowa.

Perry, meanwhile, has faltered in his previous performances and appears to have written off the New Hampshire primary. A WMUR/UNH poll out Friday showed him with 1 percent, tied for last with Buddy Roemer.

The Texas governor is scheduled to participate in both debates but after they finish, he’ll head to South Carolina, where he’ll stay throughout New Hampshire’s primary.

The events this weekend restart a flood of debates. There are two scheduled before South Carolina’s primary on Jan. 21. And there are two scheduled before Florida’s primary on Jan. 31.