With four months until the first votes are cast in the Iowa caucus, the gloves are coming off in the Republican presidential race.

On Monday, the eight leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination flocked to the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa to square off in a debate sponsored by CNN and the Tea Party Express -- and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is leading in the national polls, came under heavy fire from his rivals.

Wolf Blitzer from CNN moderated the debate, which opened with introductions from the candidates -- before heading to Social Security.

With the Republican presidential candidates preparing to square off Monday night in a Tampa debate sponsored by CNN and the Tea Party Express, two new national polls found that Gov. Rick Perry continues to lead the race for the GOP nomination.

The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) announced Friday that Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, who has rocketed to the top of national polls since entering the race less than a month ago, will take part in the Presidency 5 straw poll later in the month.

Our 3,500 delegates, on behalf of Floridas Republicans, will hear from the leading candidates and make their votes count on Saturday, said Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the RPOF, on Friday. You cant win the White House if you cant win Florida, and this event is the first real test for these national campaigns here in the Sunshine State.

This week, Americans for Prosperity-Florida (AFP-FL), the state chapter of the national conservative organization that calls for restraining the scope of government in the economy, released its 2011 report card for members of the Florida Legislature.