EXETER, N.H. -- Gov. Rick Perry is struggling.
Republicans in early voting states, once excited about his presidential bid, are openly questioning the strength of his candidacy. High expectations have been met by the sudden national scrutiny that comes with the front-runner bull's-eye.Perry is leading in national polls, but he is also facing intensifying criticism from the right and left. Some Republicans in Iowa and New Hampshire are expressing doubts, especially after debates in which rivals raised questions about his record on immigration, public health and Social Security.One national immigration group says Perry is finished. Conservatives are slamming his support of education benefits for illegal immigrants.The campaign dismisses the criticism. After all, supporters say, he entered the presidential race just six weeks ago.Since then, Perry has campaigned repeatedly in New Hampshire and Iowa, states that host the nation's first presidential voting contests in roughly four months.Unaligned Republicans in those states -- including some who backed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney four years ago and are looking for an alternative -- have watched Perry closely this month to see whether the early buzz would become lasting campaign strength. But his debate performances, including bobbled attempts Thursday night in Florida at painting Romney as a flip-flopper, did not impress some influential activists."Perry has been doing damage to himself over the last couple of weeks," said Jamie Burnett, a New Hampshire-based Republican who led Romney's political operation in New Hampshire four years ago but is unaligned this year. "Perry's on shaky ground, but I'm not willing to say there's no path to victory. But he's definitely not in the place he was during the first two weeks of his campaign."Perry's performance in Thursday night's debate brought harsh criticism Friday."The guy just isn't ready for prime time. It's not the issues themselves. It's how he handles them," said Doug Gross, a Des Moines lawyer who was Romney's Iowa co-chairman in 2008 but isn't backing any candidate yet this year. "He doesn't look like a president."Veteran Republican strategist Mary Matalin, who is not affiliated with any of the 2012 campaigns, said that while debating is not Perry's strong suit, it's only one aspect of the early campaign."His support in the states that are the foundation of his strategy is not slipping," Matalin said.Activists have discovered policy differences as they get to know Perry better.He has drawn sharp criticism for requiring sixth-grade girls to be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cancer, a position that frustrates libertarians and social conservatives alike. And on immigration, Perry's opposition to a border fence and support for education benefits for illegal immigrants who came to the country as children have been unpleasantly eye-opening to some in Iowa."Immigration and the vaccines are just tough sells," said former state GOP chairman Richard Schwarm.Some national groups have been less diplomatic."Rick Perry is finished," said Americans for Legal Immigration's campaign arm in a statement Friday.
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