Mr. Perry, who was positioned at the center of the stage, did not retreat from the criticism. But he drew jeers for his decision in 2001 to allow the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public universities in Texas. Mrs. Bachmann sharply criticized him and former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania suggested an ulterior motive.
“Maybe that was an attempt to attract illegal — I mean Latino — voters,” Mr. Santorum said.
(Source: The New York Times)
Mr. Perry defended his record of overseeing the execution of 234 inmates in Texas. When asked by one of the moderators, Brian Williams of NBC News, if he had lost sleep over the decision, Mr. Perry replied, “No, sir, I’ve never struggled with that at all.”
The invited audience, made up of supporters of the candidates and patrons of the library, broke out into applause when Mr. Williams noted again that 234 people had been executed.
