Republican Debate: Presidential Candidates Face Off Ahead Of South Carolina Primary

HuffPost's Michael Calderone reports:

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Washington bureau chief Sam Feist got a call Thursday morning that would not only shake up the Republican primary but lead to some last-minute tweaks before CNN's prime-time debate.

CNN reporter Peter Hamby notified Feist that Rick Perry was dropping out of the race, a scoop that would soon make the rounds on Twitter and on air before the Texas governor's 11 a.m. press conference. "When we left here last night, we had finished what we thought were the debate questions for five candidates," said Feist, who's producing the network's 8 p.m. faceoff, co-sponsored with the Southern Republican Leadership Conference.

In addition to revising the questions -- something CNN debate staff also did on Monday after Jon Huntsman dropped out -- the production team set to work on rearranging the stage and lights for the four remaining candidates. "It has been an interesting morning," Feist noted.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/republican-debate-south-carolina-primary_n_1217392.html

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