Seeking the 'anti-Romney' in the Republican presidential race

Washington (CNN) - "A true conservative."

The heading atop Texas Gov. Rick Perry's biography on his campaign website sums up the key issue of the race for the Republican presidential nomination five months before the expected start of the 2012 primary season.

With the right-wing tea party movement playing the most dynamic role in the campaign so far, the GOP competition comes down to which of the handful of die-hard conservative candidates will emerge to battle initial front-runner Mitt Romney for the nomination.