Dan Master| News & Features

Over the past few months the Republican Presidential Candidates have been on the forefront of not only the nation's political dialogue, but also on the attacks on one another. The field has seen candidates such as Herman Cain, whose mantra was 9-9-9, Rick Perry, whose poor debate performances solidified his defeat, and Donald Trump, who hosts The Apprentice.

Each candidate experienced a surge in the polls early, but many soon found their way down among the rest of the pack.

             The 4 who have survived the race until this point are former Massachusetts Governor Willard Mitt Romney, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former Senator Rick Santorum and incumbent Congressman Ron Paul.

Despite their constant bickering and 24-hour news coverage, the questions remain; who are these men who will face off with Barrack Obama in the fall, what are their records and where do they stand on the issues?

The candidate bearing the heaviest brunt of the attacks is formerMassachusettsgovernor, Mitt Romney, for his career in the industry of venture capitalism. Newt Gingrich summed up the attacks on Romney's record pretty well when he said that Romney is guilty of hypocrisy that should make "every American angry."

Romney's biography is an interesting one; he was born in Detroit, married his elementary school sweet heart, and briefly attended Stanford University. He created Bain Capital, he ran the 2002 Olympic Games, and he made an unsuccessful bid for the Presidency in 2008.

Relating to the issues, Romney's campaign website states that he "will rebuild the foundations of the American economy on the principles of free enterprise, hard work, and innovation." The economy is one of Romney's main talking points because of the time he spent in the financing industry, where he demonstrated an immense understanding for the economic climate.

A point of consternation for many in this country on Romney's record is his recent earnings. According to ABC News, "Mitt Romney earned $21.7 million in 2010 and paid nearly $3 million in taxes at a rate of slightly less than 14 percent." His tax rate of less that 14% is angering to some because others who share his same tax bracket are taxed at a much higher rate.

Newt Gingrich's biography is also an interesting one. Starting with his professional and academic record, he attended Emory University and Tulane University, where he received a B.A and PhD respectively; he was unable to acquire tenure at West Georgia College where he was a professor, but he won a seat in congress in 1978 where he eventually became Speaker. His personal life is not as sound, as he is on his third wife and is repeatedly questioned because of his infidelity.

As of now, Gingrich is surging in the polls. In a stunning upset, he beat Romney in theSouth Carolinaprimary, which was a necessary victory for his campaign in order to stay alive but due to a poor debate performance on Thursday night inFlorida, Gingrich may not fare so well after Tuesday's primary.

The Gingrich campaign recognizes Romney's economic authority because it is trying to refute Romney's claim of knowing the economy best out of the gamut of republican candidates. As Newt.org states, "under Newt's leadership, [as speaker of the house] Congress passed the first balanced budget in a generation, leading to the repayment of over $400 billion in debt." Clearly, the economy is a sticking point for the Republican contenders.

One thing Gingrich promised to the Floridian space coast is that by the end of his second term, theUnited Stateswill have a base on the moon and the base would see regular flights to and from the earth's lunar outpost in outer-space.

"By the end of my second term we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American" Gingrich said.

The next Republican Candidate in the polls is Rick Santorum. His platform is one of true conservatism. His campaign, in fact, calls him "a true conservative." His staunchly pro-life stance and religious devotion have assembled a good amount of the evangelical vote, which was essential to his narrow win at theIowacaucus.

Despite Santorum's poor primary performance inSouth Carolinaand expected poor performance inFlorida, he says that his campaign is in robust financial health.

"We're in a cash-plus position and we're a campaign with no debt. We're in good shape," Santorum said.

Ron Paul is located farthest to the right on the political spectrum compared to the rest of the candidates. Before entering congress, Paul practiced medicine in his home state ofTexasand his most notable asset is his very steady following. The only problem with his group of supporters is that it is just not a very large one. His supporters follow him for his aggressive opposition to the Federal Reserve, or the Central Bank, and his anti-healthcare rhetoric and voting rhetoric.

Despite Paul's loyalists, he is polling poorly. For the next primary inFlorida, he is rated dead last, according to a Monmouth University Poll. But even if Paul does not get the nomination, he has a contingency plan. Just as he did in 1988, he may run for President as a Libertarian. In an interview with National Public Radio's Robert Segal, Paul did not refute this course of action: "Well, it's awfully premature because, as you said, you're waiting to find out what state I'm going to win and how many. So we have a few months to go before I will need an answer –."

Ultimately, republican voters are interested in nominating a candidate who has a chance winning a debate, and an election, against Barrack Obama, who is a former constitutional law professor well versed in the art of debating. The challenge Republicans face is to nominate the man who can outsmart President Obama.