Las Vegas GOP debate collapses after Romney drops out

No Mitt Romney, no debate.

Three days after Romney, the GOP presidential front-runner, said he wouldn't attend a July 10 debate in Las Vegas, the organizers postponed the event, citing scheduling problems.

The Daily Caller and Americans for Tax Reform Foundation on Friday announced their GOP faceoff would be put off until another time, but no new date or venue was offered.

"Due to scheduling conflicts and impending changes in the Republican primary field, we have decided to postpone our debate," the group said in a statement, attributing it to Daily Caller Publisher Neil Patel and Grover Norquist, president of the Tax Reform Foundation.

Norquist also said organizers were waiting to see whether Texas Gov. Rick Perry would jump into the GOP presidential contest as conservatives look for other contenders to shake up the field.

"We're waiting for Perry," Norquist told The Washington Post.

Herman Cain had been the only GOP presidential hopeful to have confirmed he would participate in the debate. Organizers had said they were confident other candidates would show up, but that the debate apparently wasn't coming together after Romney announced on Tuesday he would skip it.

Romney said he planned to participate in a series of six other debates this summer and fall, culminating with one Oct. 18 in Las Vegas that will be televised live by CNN. That faceoff will be part of the Western Republican Leadership Conference, a major regional meeting for GOP fundraising and organizing, including for Nevada's Feb. 18 presidential caucuses.

The July 10 debate was scheduled to happen the day after a Conservative Leadership Conference on July 9 at the M Resort. Cain is among those scheduled to speak at the conference.

Contact Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.