Perry to make debut at US Republican debate

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AFP:

Texas governor Rick Perry squared up to make his debut Wednesday at a Republican party debate, after surging into the race as frontrunner to be the GOP candidate against Barack Obama next year.

The main Republican contenders for the US presidency are to take the stage at the Ronald Reagan presidential library in California Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, for the two-hour debate from 5:00 pm (0000 GMT).

Jobs and the struggling US economy are likely to feature high on the debate's agenda, ahead of a keynote speech by President Obama Thursday aimed at tackling zero US job growth and reviving his own political fortunes.

Perry joined the Republican field for the White House in the last month, energizing a lackluster GOP race and leapfrogging straight into the lead ahead of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

A poll last week by the Quinnipiac University put Perry on 24 percent among Republican and independent voters, followed by Romney -- who set out a 59-point economic plan in Las Vegas on Tuesday -- with 18 percent.
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Glad Perry is still making the debate tonite. Interested to see how he holds up.