Perry has taken the lead in national polls, but his loss in Saturday's Florida Republican straw poll and criticism of his last two debate performances have given former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney a boost, several GOP consultants said.
"Romney still wins the week, for Perry's momentum has been stopped cold," consultant Scott Reed, who is unaffiliated with any of the campaigns, told CNN.
Herman Cain's victory at the Presidential 5 straw poll on Saturday in Florida "shows the party is still hungry for new ideas," Reed said.
There is no question Cain's surprise win shook things up.
"I think it was a surprise to a lot of folks that Herman Cain did as well as he did," Michigan Republican Party Chairman Bobby Schostak said Sunday.
"This vetting of candidates is a tough process. I'm proud of our candidates. I think the whole debate has been good. And they're going to get stronger over time," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, told "Fox News Sunday."
"Believe it or not, I served pancakes nearly every morning before the kids went to school," she told supporters that morning. "I miss having my boys at home. But I do love seeing how wonderful they are now as husbands and fathers. ... I am grateful because they had such an extraordinary example."
Ann Romney is the unassuming, not-so-secret weapon in Mitt Romney's political arsenal. At a GOP gathering in Michigan on Saturday, she spoke briefly, prompting the crowd to tap their glasses and call for a toast.
The Romneys kissed, and then Ann Romney joked, "''We're not going to do an Al Gore moment," referring to a long and public kiss that Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore shared with his then-wife, Tipper, at the party's convention in 2000.
The 62-year-old grandmother of 16 lends an instant folksy charm to her husband. He sometimes fights to convey authenticity in the diners and backyards where presidential contests are fought in this early voting state.
He's worked to shed the image of a stiff Wall Street executive from the upper crust of America, stepping up appearances at NASCAR events, ditching his tie, shopping at Walmart, wearing skinny jeans, eating at Subway and flying on the discount carrier, Southwest Airlines.
But those efforts haven't stopped the criticism.
At a time of economic troubles, Romney's wealth and upbringing are vulnerabilities that his chief rival, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, is using against him. Perry, who grew up in a family of modest means in tiny Paint Creek, Texas, is chiding Romney for suggesting that he's a member of the middle class.
Others haven't looked kindly on Romney's efforts to portray himself as a regular guy.
"It's sort of contrived," says Brendan Steinhauser, a leading organizer for an ally of the tea party, FreedomWorks. "I've seen the whole flying Southwest thing. It's just not believable. Eating at Subway? Come on."
Enter Ann Romney.
Seemingly with no filter, she jokes about bathroom messes, cooking for a huge family and personal struggles with her husband's public life.
Ann planned to share her story in a book during the 2008 campaign, but Tag Romney says those plans were postponed.
Political assets aside, her mere presence seems to help relax her husband. They are not shy about public affection, and he regularly squeezes his wife's hand, even when the cameras are not rolling.
"He is confident, comfortable and very effective when she is by his side or with him on a trip — the value of which cannot be understated in dealing with the pressure of a national campaign," said Jamie Burnett, who led Romney's political operation in New Hampshire four years ago.
Ann Romney's growing role is not unprecedented in presidential politics.
Spouses often become political assets or liabilities.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's third wife, Callista, helped create headaches for her husband's current campaign when news of a six-figure charge account at Tiffany jewelry company surfaced.
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann's husband, Marcus, recently defended criticism that his family's counseling clinic offered to "cure" homosexuality.
On the other side, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman's wife, Mary Kaye, is a regular attendant at political events, as is Perry's wife, Anita, who often serves as a campaign surrogate.
"Sometimes family members can really make a difference in presidential politics," said Barbara Perry, a senior fellow at the University of Virginia's Miller Center. She's not related to the candidate.
History is full of examples:
—Michelle Obama, from working-class Chicago suburbs, offered the candidate Barack Obama a more traditional family story.
—Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson traveled throughout the South without Lyndon B. Johnson during the 1964 election to promote the Civil Rights Act.
—Robert Kennedy's mother, Rose, helped humanize her son, who was actually quite shy and didn't enjoy campaigning.
Ann Romney declined to be interviewed for this story. But expect to hear much more from her in the coming weeks.
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