Live blog: California presidential debate

8:49: That's all for the Reagan Library debate. No closing statements. Stay tuned for more coverage/analysis from Simi Valley. Next GOP debate: Monday, Sept. 12 in Tampa, Fla.

8:44: Romney says that he would grow the economy at 4 percent per year with his jobs plan. Aiming lower than Pawlenty's 5 percent proposal he made earlier this year.

8:40: Bachmann gets asked about supporting drilling in the Everglades in Florida? She doesn't mention the Everglades, talking about a more broad energy solution, before moving onto the EPA.

Then she gets in a hit on his jobs speech tomorrow: "I think tomorrow night, I'm afraid we won't be seeing permanent solutions. I'm afraid we'll be seeing permanent gimmicks."

8:36: Perry is asked what scientists he looks to on climate chance. "The science is not settled on this," Perry says. When the moderator pushes, Perry says: "Let me tell you what I find compelling: what we've done in the state of Texas. We cleaned up our air in Texas."

8:31: Bachmann gets asked about her criticism of the president going into Libya. She first dodges the question, talking about Obama weakening the military and about cuts to the defense budget. She declares that she's a member of the Intelligence Committee as she says: "I firmly believe that the president of the United States has weakened us militarily.

But when the moderator follows up, Bachmann gives a direct answer: "I believe it was wrong for the president to go into Libya."

8:25: Bachmann says that Ronald Reagan would join the candidates in the pledge not to take $10 in spending cuts for $1 in tax increases. She said he agreed to a deal for $3 in cuts for $1 in tax increases, and it ended up $3 in tax increases for $1 in cuts.

8:23: Question to Romney: Are you a member of the Tea Party? "I don't believe you carry cards," he responds with a not-so-clear answer.

8:13: The candidates are getting asked about what to do with the 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the country. Bachmann first talks about the border: "In Mexico we're dealing with narco-terrorists. To not build a border would be in effect to yield our sovereignty to another nation."

After the moderator follows up, Bachmann says that it would depend on how long people have been here and whether they have a criminal record. Then she talks about how the U.S. immigration law worked "beautifully" in the 1950s. "The one thing they had to promise is they would not become a burden on the taxpayer," she said.

8:06: Here's a change-up: Gingrich says he found some agreement with Obama on Race to the Top, his education program, because it supports charter schools. He says the president was showing "some courage" by taking on the teachers unions.

7:55: Bachmann gets asked about Perry's executive order on the HPV vaccine. Bachmann says the government shouldn't be deciding what parents have to do to inoculate their children. "To dictate or impose, I would certainly oppose that," she said.

7:51: Romney senses an opening and attacks Perry for saying that Social Security is a failure. "Our nominee has to be someone who isn't committed to abolishing Social Security, but is committed to saving Social Security."

7:49: Perry gets a question about his book and Social Security, and he says that it's a Ponzi scheme. "If Vice President Cheney or anyone else...expect young people paying into that program to be sound or be paying benefits when they reach retirement age, that is just a lie."

7:38: Huntsman gets the $2 gallon question and says definitely that it's not a realistic promise.

7:36: Bachmann gets asked about her $2 gallon of gas and responds that "energy is one of the greatest opportunities for job creation...we could see 1.2 million jobs created in the United States."

7:33: Romney gets a question on Bachmann's $2 gallon gas statement, and doesn't go after Bachmann, saying the president can develop better energy solutions. "We're an energy rich nation and we're living like an energy poor nation," he said.

On the gas price: "Can we get it down to $2? I'm not going to make that prediction."

7:32: Perry just said he wanted to respond to "the last individual." Not wanting to elevate any of the second-tier candidates? Santorum, by the way, was that individual.

7:29: Two questions, and Bachmann hasn't mentioned an opponent by name. Gingrich, meanwhile, just went after t he moderators for trying to pit one GOPer against another.

7:25: Bachmann gets her question on health care. She says that, with "respect of the governors, issuing an executive order will not overturn it. This will take a very strong bold leader in the presidency who will lead that effort."

7:24: Bachmann tries to get in something after Perry's statement on health care, but Harris goes to Huntsman instead.

7:22: Question to Perry on Massachusetts having nearly universal insurance, while Texas has nearly 25 percent uninsured. "It's pretty hard to defend dead last," Politico editor John Harris says. Perry responds that people of Texas want to see is the federal government "get out of their business. Medicaid needs to be block granted back to the states," Perry says.

Perry gets a follow up: why Texas is in last? "We would not have that many people uninsured in Texas if you did not have the federal government," Perry says.

7:20: Moderator asks if anyone agrees that Romney's approach was right in Massachusetts on health care. Perry first to speak and says Massachusetts shows that the individual mandate does not work.

7:17: Bachmann's first question gave her an easy chance to attack her favorite target, Obamacare, but she didn't mention any of her GOP rivals. Something to watch as the debate goes on is whether that changes.

"I know it firsthand from speaking to people," she said. We've seen it this summer...I'm a mom. One thing I know is kids need jobs. And Obamacare is clearly leading to job-killing regulations not job-creating regulations."

7:12: Twelve minutes in and Bachmann has yet to speak. Santorum, Cain and Huntsman got the next questions after the opening Perry-Romney jabs.

7:07: Perry and Romney already going at it. First two questions and no one else has talked. Perry attacked Romney's job creation record in Massachusetts. "Michael Dukakis created jobs three-times faster than you did," Perry said. "George Bush and his predecessor created jobs faster than you did," Romney shot back.

7:03: Perry gets the first question and goes straight to his creating 1 million jobs in Texas.

7:01: Format: 1 minute responses, 30 second follow/rebuttal. No opening/closing statements.

6:50: Ten minutes to show time. The big story tonight is Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is making his debut performance on the presidential debate stage, and how his main rivals Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney do against him.

But those three aren't the only candidates on stage tonight. Also at the debate: Texas Rep. Ron Paul, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, pizza magnate Herman Cain and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.