With four months until the first votes are cast in the Iowa caucus, the gloves are coming off in the Republican presidential race.

On Monday, the eight leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination flocked to the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa to square off in a debate sponsored by CNN and the Tea Party Express -- and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is leading in the national polls, came under heavy fire from his rivals.

Wolf Blitzer from CNN moderated the debate, which opened with introductions from the candidates -- before heading to Social Security.

The first question came from a First Coast tea party activist who asked how the candidates could reform Social Security and Medicaid and get votes. U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota called for “these programs to be saved” and argued that the Obama administration was defunding Medicaid to fund the new health-care law.

Blitzer turned the question to Perry, asking the candidate about his labeling Social Security a “Ponzi scheme.”

Perry defended his comments.

“No one’s had the courage to say, 'here’s how we’re going to reform it,'" he said.

Pointing out an op-ed in Monday's USA Today by the Texas governor that backed off his earlier comments, former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts fired away at Perry, calling his use of the term “Ponzi scheme” as “frightful,” arguing that tens of millions of people have received Social Security benefits over the last 70 years.

“Does Governor Perry continue to believe that Social Security should be ended as a federal program and returned to the states?” Romney demanded, insisting Perry thought Social Security was “unconstitutional.”

“It’s time for us to get back to the Constitution,” replied Perry, who accused Romney of trying to “scare seniors.”

“The term ‘Ponzi scheme’ is what scares seniors,” responded Romney, who called it an “essential program.”

Texas Congressman Ron Paul said Social Security is “broke” and the federal government is to blame for spending money that should have been kept in the program, including military actions overseas. Paul and businessman Herman Cain called for allowing younger workers to opt out of Social Security.

Former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah slammed Romney and Perry for causing “drama.”

“We’re frightening the American people who just want solutions,” Huntsman said. “We don’t have leadership, that’s the problem.”

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich insisted that President Barack Obama is trying to frighten seniors on the issue. Gingrich agreed with the other candidates that younger workers need to have access to individual accounts.

Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania pointed to his experience. He said he has been fighting to reform Social Security since 1994, when he defeated Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford.

“I’ve got a track record of courage and a track record of proposals,” said Santorum.

FEDERAL SPENDING

The next question regarded a balanced budget and cutting federal spending. Gingrich pointed to “an enormous volume of waste” that could be cut and pointed to his record in the 1990s fighting for balanced budgets. The former congressional leader slammed the new congressional “supercommittee” set up to cut $1.2 trillion from the federal government over the next 10 years and called for making major cuts to the government.

Asked about federal prescription drug benefits for seniors under Medicare, Santorum called for choice in Medicare and offered strong words of praise for the budget plan backed by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and congressional Republicans. Saying he would not repeal the prescription drug law, Perry pointed to his record in Texas cutting waste and state government.

Romney took aim at the other candidates, insisting that cutting waste would not do enough to balance the budget.