Rick Santorum is likely to get more attention -- as well as more scrutiny -- in tonight's debate, Steve Holland writes from Mesa.

While Romney currently leads Santorum in Arizona by 16 points, according to an NBC/Marist poll, the rivals are about evenly matched in Michigan (Romney 37%, Santorum 35%, according to NBC/Marist), and Santorum appears to have an edge in a number of national polls.

"For Santorum, there are a lot of expectations," Republican strategist Ron Bonjean told Holland. "Now that he has reached the superstar status, he has to perform very well. Any stumble by Santorum will be magnified because of his front-runner status. He's going to have to face these attacks head-on."

Tim Gaynor, who covers immigration and border issues for Reuters and is at the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona -- the site of tonight's debate -- tells us that "pro-immigrants rights activists are gathering outside the Mesa Arts Center now to protest Mitt Romney’s opposition to the Dream Act."

Paul West from the LA Times writes, "A Santorum victory in one or both of the Feb. 28 primaries would virtually guarantee a prolonged, and potentially damaging, struggle into early June, when California holds its delegate-rich primary, and could conceivably go all the way to the Republican National Convention in Tampa at the end of August."

From Tim Gaynor, who covers immigration and border issues for Reuters:

It is highly likely that immigration will come up in the debate tonight in Arizona. The Mexico border state was thrust front and center in a national debate about illegal immigration and border security, after Republican governor Jan Brewer signed the state’s immigration crackdown into law in April 2010.

The law, dubbed SB1070, requires police to check the immigration status of anyone they detained and suspected was in the country illegally. The Obama administration challenged it in a lawsuit, arguing it improperly meddled in federal issues, and key parts of the measure were blocked shortly before it came into effect in July 2010. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal.

Arizona's tough crackdown had wide support in the state, which borders Mexico, as well as across the United States, but it was opposed by President Barack Obama, many Democrats and civil rights groups. Opponents of the law said it would lead to harassment of Hispanic-Americans.

Also from West at LAT. www.latimes.com
The last time a Republican primary went all the way to the convention was in 1976 when President Gerald Ford and former California Gov. Ronald Reagan were locked in a showdown between the Republican Party establishment and its conservative base that is not unlike what we're seeing now between Romney and Santorum.

And Lily, remember what happened to Ford in the general election. ...

Also likely to be on the table tonight: High gas prices. Check out Ayesha Rascoe's story from earlier today on lawmakers asking Obama to consider tapping US stockpiles to bring down prices: www.reuters.com

Maybe one of the Republican candidates will sing tonight. Like Obama, and yes his new habit of breaking into public song is reminding me of Bill Clinton and the saxophone.

From Tim Gaynor, who writes in from the Mesa Arts Center:

Campaigning in Iowa late last year, Mitt Romney said he would veto a proposal granting U.S. citizenship to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children.

While turning his back on the so-called Dream Act won him support from grassroots conservatives in the Midwest, it brought out Hispanic activists in protest against him ahead of the debate on Wednesday.

"I just want a president who is going to be good for my community, for people who have a dream and want an education," said Carla Uiquidi, one of a dozen or so protesters in the street opposite the Mesa Arts Center toting placards that read "Veto Romney Not the Dream Act."

Under the Dream Act, which was brought up in the Senate in May, young undocumented immigrants who have lived most of their lives in the United States and graduate from U.S. high schools would be eligible for a conditional six-year "path to citizenship" if they earn a college degree or serve two years in the military.

Romney told caucus voters in Lemars, Iowa, in late December he would secure the U.S.-Mexico border with a fence and enough Border Patrol agents to guard it.

His remarks there drew vigorous applause in Le Mars and at a later appearance in Sioux City. Romney said he would eliminate the "magnet" that draws illegal immigrants by cracking down on employers who hire them. They didn’t impress Uiquidi on Wednesday.

"Mitt Romney is the one who has been the most outspoken about not passing the Dream Act or even looking at it ... I don't think he should be president. …I believe everybody should have an equal chance and opportunity to get an education … and be able to dream. Nobody should take that away from them,” she added.

I wish one of them would go with "I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not"

2 points for Mitt Romney making a Seinfeld joke

Gingrich jumps right in on the price of gas ...

Romney's down with the Seinfeld. Will we get a Jeremy Lin pop culture reference?

Tonight's rolling chair furniture provided by Ikea?

Nobody pays taxes! #Romneycare

Romney is talking about programs for the poor - like the safety net? He ran into a lot of trouble early this month for saying he does not care about the very poor because they have a safety net. Probably smart of him to jump right in on the issue.

Ron Paul waiting for his opportunity to talk about ending the Fed.