WASHINGTON -- Former Sen. Jim Talent worries about what a Newt Gingrich-led ticket would mean for the GOP in November.

Sen. Roy Blunt thinks the recent Gingrich surge can help Mitt Romney become more forceful in defending his wealth and the free enterprise system that enabled it.

With another potential pivotal primary looming, this one in Florida on Tuesday, the two Missourians involved in Romney's campaign are hoping that the former Massachusetts governor's crisp debate performance on Thursday night bodes well for his prospects in the Republicans' shifting, chaotic primary season.

"I''m cautiously optimistic that eventually we'll get to 1,143 delegates," Talent said. "But I don't know how long it's going to to take. I honestly don't."

Talent is returning to Florida this weekend after spending Monday and Tuesday there on Romney's behalf, raising money and delivering Romney's messages on foreign policy.

His tasks over the weekend include speaking to what he described as Jewish audiences on issues related to the Middle East.

Talent also has been among the Romney surrogates delivering barbed assessments of Gingrich's four years as House Speaker until forced to step down. Those attacks from Romney's allies continue on a daily basis, including former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole's assertion Thursday that Gingrich's nomination would have "an adverse impact on Republican candidates running for county, state and federal offices."

Talent today expanded on his own recent characterization of Gingrich as "unreliable," asserting flatly that Republicans will lose in November if Gingrich is the nominee.

"I think if it appeared as is Speaker Gingrich was going to get the nomination, the sense of desperation and panic would grow among Republicans," Talent said in an interview. "He can't win the general election, in my judgement. He goes in with very, very high negatives and you start off with the fact that independent voters and many Republicans don't like him."

Blunt, who serves as Romney's liaison with Congress, is much more circumspect about Gingrich. They were together for one term in the House and Gingrich has campaigned for him, Blunt noted.

"He's interesting and challenging and I really do consider him a friend of mine," Blunt said of Gingrich. "He doesn't have the strongest executive personality of anybody I've met...He's constantly bombarding you with ideas that make you think, but they're not always ideas that are consistent or really can produce a result."

Blunt said he will leave it to others to sound alarms about the impact on the GOP if Gingrich prevails over Romney.

"If he turns out to be the nominee, that probably means he's figured out how to be a pretty good candidate," Blunt said.

In his role for Romney, Blunt has worked recently to coordinate endorsements from several dozen House Republicans who served with Gingrich. Last month, he arranged a conference call enabling House members to hear Romney's appeal and ask questions.

Blunt sees value for Romney in Gingrich's emergence while still believing still that Romney will succeed.

"I think the message to the Romney campaign is that the future of the country is about to be defined in a significant way and you can't afford to show any hesitancy in defending your view of America," Blunt said.

"He needs to have a full-throated defense of an opportunity society versus an entitlement society. Those are the words he's using, but I think he's gotten much better in understanding in the last three weeks how important it is that you're straightforward in your defense of your career and the system that made your life possible."

Talent, too, sees a stronger Romney amid polling that suggests he is positioned to capture Florida, the first winner-take-all state and a prize that would propel the victor into a series of caucuses.

"We have to continue getting the message out, and doing the blocking and tackling of politics effectively," Talent said. "Gov. Romney's debate have turned the tied in Florida. But if there's one thing this election process has proved, it's very fluid. We in Romney's camp are not now, and not after Florida, going to take anything for granted."