MANCHESTER, N.H. - On the eve of the first 2012 Republican presidential candidates' debate in this crucial state on Monday night, two distinct battles are under way: A split among diehard conservatives, and another within the more mainstream, willing-to-bend establishment GOP wing.
As a result, there's no clear favorite to win New Hampshire's GOP presidential primary early next year, traditionally the nation's first secret-ballot contest.
"I've never seen it so wide open," said state party chairman Jack Kimball.
New Hampshire is being watched closely because it has a long history of anointing potential presidents - and ruining the hopes of others - early in the election cycle.
Seven candidates are scheduled to debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester from 8 to 10 p.m. EDT (5 to 7 p.m. Tucson time) Monday. Voters are likely to see two different types of Republicans.
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The more moderate wing includes candidates who built their reputations on fiscal conservatism, while largely agreeing with the far right on cultural issues. These candidates also have a history of compromise on major issues such as health care and environmental policy - and success in wooing independent, moderate voters in general elections.
This group includes former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has a big lead in the latest University of New Hampshire poll; former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty; and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia.
The more conservative branch includes businessman Herman Cain, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and still-undeclared candidate Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann.
They often pledge allegiance to the conservative tea party movement that helped elect dozens of congressional Republicans around the nation last year. They have vocal histories of opposition to health care mandates and an eagerness for dramatic budget-slashing. And they demand ironclad opposition to abortion.
Christopher Crawford, chairman of the New Hampshire Conservative Future Political Action Committee, summed up the difference between the two party wings: "Independent Republicans don't demand the same record of standing up for cultural issues. The independents tend to be more focused on the fiscal message."
The problem for more moderate Republicans is that each of their candidates has political liabilities.
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who has visited the state twice exploring a possible bid, was U.S. ambassador to China through April - and appointed by President Obama. "I'm not sure we can have someone unwilling to criticize President Obama," said GOP activist Jennifer Horn.
Romney is criticized for signing into law as governor the Massachusetts health care plan considered a model for the federal government's 2010 law, which most Republicans abhor. That's a "challenge he has to overcome every day he's campaigning," Horn said.
Gingrich appeared in a 2008 public service ad with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., saying "our country must take action to address climate change," an issue conservatives consider a liberal effort to impose new burdens on business.
Pawlenty in 2007 supported a tough Minnesota plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a step environmental groups lauded. At last month's South Carolina debate, Pawlenty said, "I made a mistake."
Doubts grounded in those issues create an unpredictable race, and a potentially volatile debate.
