Republican Candidates Set to Battle at 18th Debate in Tampa

(NewsCore) - TAMPA, Fla. -- The stakes have never been higher for the four Republican presidential candidates who took the stage in Tampa Monday night for the 18th debate of the political season.

Mitt Romney, who has previously shied away from making the toughest attacks on his rivals, has no choice but to come out swinging after Newt Gingrich's remarkable, double-digit victory in the South Carolina Republican primary Saturday night.

Following that upset victory, the latest Rasmussen Reports poll of Florida voters showed Gingrich leading Romney 41 percent to 32 percent in the Sunshine State, where 50 delegates are up for grabs in the Jan. 31 winner-take-all primary.

Monday night's debate is being moderated by NBC News anchor Brian Williams and is co-sponsored by NBC, National Journal and the Tampa Bay Times.

During the debate, Gingrich is expected to be pressed for details about his contract with mortgage giant Freddie Mac, which he said he served as a "historian" and a "strategic adviser."

Romney released a TV ad earlier in the day accusing Gingrich of profiting from the housing crisis in Florida -- which has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation -- prompting the Gingrich campaign to release all documentation regarding the contract prior to the debate's start.

The ethics investigation of Gingrich during his tenure as House speaker in the 1990s is also likely to be a major focus of attacks by his rivals. Gingrich was ultimately cleared of many allegations, but was reprimanded and forced to pay $300,000 in fines.

Romney's greater challenge will be to connect with voters and register as an equally forceful presence to Gingrich, who has proven himself to be the field's most crowd-pleasing debater. In recent debates, Gingrich has drawn cheers and even a standing ovation with sharp lines attacking President Barack Obama, his Republican rivals and the "media elite."

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum's goal, meanwhile, is to demonstrate he is the most consistent conservative candidate in the race and a better alternative to Romney than Gingrich.

He previewed his attacks against Gingrich during televised interviews on Sunday, calling the former House speaker a "very high risk candidate" who has bucked conservative positions on health insurance mandates, the financial bailout, global warming and immigration.

Santorum is also likely to hit Gingrich and his other rivals on the topic of abortion -- particularly as Monday night's debate closely follows the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and a "March for Life" rally in Washington.

In an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal Monday, Santorum highlighted his own resume as an anti-abortion crusader, and argued that Romney, Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul have not been equally committed to that cause.

Paul is participating in both Florida debates this week, but will otherwise not compete aggressively in the Sunshine State. He is instead looking ahead to caucus states like Nevada, where he is better able to leverage his campaign organization to win votes.

As a result, Paul is likely to get even less attention during Monday's debate than he did during last Thursday's forum, when CNN moderator John King was booed for ignoring the libertarian congressman.