Perry takes the heat at the Republican debate

It’s not much fun being the front runner. That’s what the Republican party’s latest political sensation Rick Perry discovered last night, as he came under repeated attack from his would-be presidential rivals during their televised debate in Florida.

The debate itself, sponsored by the Tea Party express and moderated by veteran CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, might have seemed like a natural forum for someone with Perry’s stellar conservative credentials.

But as the evening wore on, he was accused of everything from treason and cronyism, to snatching away the fundamental liberties of 12-year-old girls.

The Texas governor was forced onto the defensive throughout the night, taking heat from the man he replaced at the top of the polls – Mitt Romney. They clashed again over social security, after Perry described the programme as a Ponzi scheme. Romney called the remark “over the top and unneccessary and frightful to many people.”

Romney attacks Perry over social security

The pair could barely contain their dislike as they moved onto the economy, with Romney taking aim at Perry’s record on improving the Texan economy.

“If you’re dealt four aces, that doesn’t make you a great poker player,” he declared. That didn’t impress Perry, who snarled back: “I think we need to have a conversation”.

“We’re having it right now, governor,” fired back Romney. “You’re running for President.”

He may not have gone down well with the conservative crowd in Tampa – but he was clearly speaking beyond them, to the wider audience of Republicans clearly nervous about the prospect of a Perry candidacy.

If you’re dealt four aces, that doesn’t make you a great poker player. Mitt Romney

And it’s not as if the Right were swinging behind him, either – not on the platform last night, at least. Michelle Bachmann, whose campaign has been more or less eclipsed by Perry’s rapid rise, wasn’t holding her punches. Her focus was Perry’s decision to vaccinate all 12-year-old girls in Texas against HPV, the virus linked to cervical cancer.

“We cannot forget that in the midst of this executive order, there was a big drug company that made millions of dollars because of this mandate…The drug company gave thousands of dollars in political donations to the governor and this is just flat out wrong,” she claimed. And she accused Perry of only issuing the order because his former chief of staff was a lobbyist for the firm.

Perry admitted that Merck had given him $5,000 – but said he had raised a total of $30m.

“If you’re suggesting I can be bought for $5,000, I’m offended,” he scoffed.

Bachmann hit right back: “I’m offended for all the little girls and the parents who didn’t have a choice.”

As if all this wasn’t enough, Rick Santorum and the hapless Jon Huntsman weighed into Perry over immigration – and his opposition to a border fence in Texas. And Ron Paul attacked his economic record – accusing him of raising taxes back home.

Tea Party favourite

There’s no doubt that Perry was still the darling of many in the Tea Party crowd: Just one example of their gung-ho attitude came as Wolf Blitzer asked Ron Paul a hypothetical question about a young man who’d been badly injured and needed six months hospital care – but had no insurance. Who should pay – should society “let him die”? There were more than a few shouts of ‘Yes!’ among the crowd.

But the constant barrage of attacks from his rivals left Perry noticeably battered. There’s a long, exhausting road to the first real electoral test in Iowa, and if it’s likely to be more of the same, his team must be wondering just how much their man can take. There’s a fierce battle for the conservative vote, now that Michelle Bachmann seems to have got her mojo back, never mind whether Sarah Palin ever decides if she’s going to enter the race.

And Mitt Romney’s advisers also emerged happier, telling reporters: “Rick Perry came into this debate with a social security problem, and he left with a conservative problem.”

Romney’s road to the nomination, they believe, has been made far smoother by all the infighting on the right. And as for President Obama, who claimed he didn’t even watch his own debate, let alone everyone else’s – the prospect of a red-blooded fight for the conservative fringes can’t be bad.

For Rick Perry then, it’s all still to prove. Initial reports suggest he didn’t emerge well after last night’s debate. As we said, it’s not much fun being ahead of the field. The loneliness, perhaps, of the long distant front runner.

Felicity Spector is the US politics expert for Channel 4 News. Follow her on Twitter @felicityspector