Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann receive praise for performance in GOP debate

Republican candidates for President take the stage at Sullivan Arena at Saint Anselm College for the CNN sponsored debate in Manchester, New Hampshire on June 13, 2011. (L-R) Former Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum, Minnesota representitive Michele Bachmann, Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, Former Governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty, Herman Cain of Georgia. UPI/Ryan T. Conaty

Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann, businessman Herman Cain, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, two-time presidential candidate Ron Paul, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, and two-term senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum took the stage at Saint Anselm College’s Sullivan Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire on Monday night for the first significant Republican debate.

There appears to be a consensus in the media that Romney, the current GOP frontrunner, and Bachmann, who formally declared her candidacy for the White House in the early stages of the evening, came off as the winners of the CNN/WMUR/Union Leader debate, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Romney benefited from the fact that the other Republicans chose not to engage him in a debate on his health-care reform, which has been labeled as “Obamneycare,” because of the political party’s goal of keeping the focus on President Obama.

“Ours was a state plan, a state solution, and if people don’t like it in our state, they can change it,” Romney said, according to CSMonitor.com. “That’s the nature of why states are the right place for this type of responsibility. And that’s why I introduced a plan to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a state-centric program.”

As for Bachmann, who many believe had the best performance during the debate, she has been praised for delivering strong, articulate arguments while formally introducing herself to voters.

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