GOP field assembles in Calif. for first of three debates this month

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

A busy month of debates that could effectively winnow the sizable Republican presidential field begin tonight with a meeting in a veritable GOP shrine, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.

Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Michelle Bachmann, Ron Paul, Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Herman Cain will face-off at 8 p.m. EDT for a one-hour, 45-minute debate sponsored by Politico and NBC News. It will air on MSNBC.

The session will be co-moderated by NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams and Politico Editor-in-Chief John Harris, and feature questions from Telemundo’s Jose Diaz-Balart and those submitted by readers and viewers.

Boston.com and “Political Intelligence” will offer a live blog of the meeting, which will occur against the backdrop of a gleaming Boeing 707 that served as Air Force One for many of President Reagan’s domestic and international travels.

Perry, who has emerged as the frontrunner since jumping into the nomination contest last month, will appear on stage for the first time with his rivals.

A wildfire back home threatened to keep the Texas governor from participating, but Perry went ahead with scheduled pre-debate appearances in California before possibly returning home immediately after the debate.

A Tea Party favorite, Perry faces his first sustained attention on a national stage, not only before viewers but also his rivals. With President Obama unveiling his job creation plan tomorrow night before Congress, the group was likely to debate their own strategies, with Perry being challenged on his record as governor.

Romney, meanwhile, will appear with the candidate who claimed his front-runner’s mantle a day after unveiling his own economic plan during a speech in Nevada.

And US Representative Michele Bachmann, who won rave reviews for her performance in the group’s first two nationally televised debates, is seeking to regain attention taken away by Perry. She has seen her donations diminish and a staff shake-up since his entry into the race.

Paul, a congressman from Texas, is also seeking the acclaim he feels he deserves after finishing second in the Iowa Straw Poll and running strong in a series of national surveys.

After tonight, the group meets again in Tampa, Fla., site of next year’s Republican National Convention, before their third debate this month, on Sept. 22 in Orlando.