Philly.com covered the Florida debate on Thursday by sending politics reporter Thomas Fitzgerald into the fray. Immediately following the debate, mostly between Gov. Mitt Romney and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Fitzgerald posted a wrap-up on the website. Philly.com did not do very much Tweeting about the debate, however, and since I was not at home to watch, I got the majority of my information in real time from the New York Times, CNN and The Washington Post, which was live-chatting the debate. 

From what I gathered before reading Fitzgerald's article, the high stakes debate was an intense battle between the two front-runners, and it will have an effect on the state's primary. At one point, Romney and Gingrich argued directly over involvement in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac investments. The sparring began after moderator Wolf Blitzer inquired about remarks Gingrich had made earlier in the week questioning Romney's finances. After Gingrich tried to redirect the question, Blitzer continued the questioning, preventing Gingrich from the tactics he used in the South Carolina debate

However, after watching snippets of the debate, it was clear that the candidates were fully in control of the rhetoric, often giving mini-speeches instead of responses. Rep. Ron Paul and Rick Santorum were even able to contribute freely, although this is a race between Gingrich and Romney in the panhandle state. 



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