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Live-tweeting tonight’s GOP debate from Mesa, Ariz.

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February 23, 2012|By Glen Johnson

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum speaks yesterday during… (Eric Gay/AP )

The Republican presidential contenders reconvene tonight for their first debate in nearly a month.

The two-hour session, sponsored and broadcast by CNN, will air from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. EST from the Mesa Performing Arts Center in Mesa, Ariz. CNN host John King will moderate.

The Globe’s Michael Levenson is on scene and will provide live coverage, with an assist from colleague Matt Viser.

Instead of live-blogging this debate, I am going to experiment with live-tweeting it. Follow me on Twitter @globeglen to read along.

I will offer my analysis first thing tomorrow morning here at “Political Intelligence.”

Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul have not debated since their Jan. 26 meeting in Jacksonville, Fla.

Since then, Romney went on to win the Florida primary and Nevada and Maine caucuses, but Santorum seized momentum in the race by sweeping the Colorado and Minnesota caucuses and the Missouri primary.

He now leads Romney in some national polls, prompting the former frontrunner to shift his focus from Gingrich to Santorum. Paul, meanwhile, has yet to win a primary or caucus.

The debate comes less than a week before primaries in Arizona and Michigan. Romney is targeting Arizona, home to midwestern retirees who may remember his father, former Michigan Governor George Romney, and a sizable population of fellow Mormons.

Santorum has targeted Romney in Michigan, hoping to upset him in his native state.

The candidates are also within two weeks of Super Tuesday, the March 6 collection of contests in 10 states that could help one of them finally break from the pack toward the nomination.