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BY ZACH TOOMBS

You're watching multisource politics news analysis from Newsy.

Rick Perry’s in. Tim Pawlenty’s out. And Sarah Palin is sparking rumors. The Republican presidential field has seen some major changes since the last GOP debate in early August. And that could result in a feisty field of candidates for the NBC/Politico debate Wednesday.

MSNBC shows the effect of Perry’s rapid rise in Republican polls, topping former frontrunner Mitt Romney.

“Republicans’ poll by FOX News says their choice among announced candidates is Rick Perry. He stands seven points ahead of Romey. Open it up to everyone and Perry still has a commanding lead over Romney. Palin gets eight percent and way at the bottom, Bachmann drops to four percent.”

Eight candidates will be In the mix on Wednesday -- Romney, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, and Perry, who has made headlines with harsh words in his first few weeks on the campaign trail. But The New York Times reports that Perry will try to play it safer in his first Republican debate, saying:

"His advisers are working with him on softening his language to avoid statements like the one that gained attention last month when he suggested the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, would get “ugly” treatment if he visited Texas. His aides... are now instructing him to avoid questions that could provoke a pointed response or to deflect situations with humor."

As for the GOP’s former established frontrunner, Romney is expected to veer from his strategy of focusing criticism mainly on President Obama rather than his Republican rivals.

Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol tells FOX News Sunday that Romney needs to use the debate to challenge Perry and reverse the recent course of the race.

“Perry is the more normal victor, so Romney has to change that dynamic. He has to stop thinking as a frontrunner or a former frontrunner, and he has to say, “You know what? I’ve done a lot of things in my life, but I now understand we need bold change. I’m not just going to change the policies of the last two years. I’m going to change the policies of the last 10 years.”

But what about Bachmann? Despite claiming victory in last month’s Iowa Straw Poll, the Minnesota congresswoman has suffered a consistent slide in polls ever since. Alan Schroeder of The Huffington Post predicts Bachmann will also be gunning for Perry, especially because they share many like-minded supporters.

"What will Michele Bachmann do to rattle Perry's cage? These two are vying for the same slice of the right-wing pie, and it will be fascinating to see how hard Bachmann makes him fight for it."

With Mr. Obama addressing Congress on unemployment Thursday, Republican presidential hopefuls will undoubtedly go after the president on one subject above all others: jobs.

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