More than anything, Democrats believe Romney will be the nominee, and their actions underscore this. Indeed, a Democratic strategist worried to RCP this week that President Obama’s re-election prospects look grim at the moment — but suppressed his fears by pointing out that the GOP primary field appears to be the weakest in many years.

When Jon Huntsman returned from China and entered the presidential race, Democrats feared that he would be the strongest opponent in a general election. Now, however, they view his chances as slim, and have largely written him off.

By process of elimination, the strategist said, Democrats still believe that Mitt Romney will wind up as the nominee, even though he has a lot to prove in the South during the primary fight, he said. That’s not to say research hasn’t been done on the other candidates — but those contenders are not the ones they are worried about.

Democratic PACs and outside groups are spending their resources on Romney, as well. One operative explained that it didn’t make sense for his organization to spend a dime beating up on any other Republican. Most of them haven’t given much thought to Perry, and view him off as a Southerner incapable of garnering independent votes.