( CNN ) -- If the recent CNN/Western Republican Presidential Debate in Las Vegas was any indication , the coming months on the campaign trail are likely to be nasty between Mitt Romney and Rick Perry . After a shouting match between the two at the debate , Romney -- the former governor of Massachusetts -- responded , `` Rick , again , Rick , again , I 'm speaking . ... This has been a tough couple of debates for Rick , and I understand that . And so you 're going to get testy . '' While elections often bring out barbs and negative attacks , the animosity is real , observers say . `` Oh , they do n't get along , '' said John Avlon , a CNN contributor , author and expert on independent voters . `` They do n't like each other . '' `` I mean , it ( the debate dust-up ) was amazing , '' he said . `` You look at Rick Perry 's eyes . I mean , this could have gotten physical if they were in high school . '' He added that while they have real philosophical differences , this time showed it was `` personal animosity . '' Read more about the debate . That point was backed up by Ed Rollins -- a longtime GOP strategist and former campaign manager to Republican candidate Michele Bachmann -- who said point-blank , `` They do n't get along '' and predicted that this is going to be a `` down and nasty race . '' So is it just Perry 's personality , or is there an anger management issue ? `` He 's combative , and people have asked me , 'Is Rick Perry mean ? ' and I guess the question is , which Rick Perry ? '' said Ken Herman , a columnist with the Austin American-Statesman in the Texas capital . `` The Rick Perry I 've known professionally and casually for 25 years ? I would n't say he 's mean . '' Herman added that Perry , 61 , is just tough , aggressive and a `` cold-blooded politician . '' William Murchison admitted in an article for the conservative magazine American Spectator that his friend 's often `` combative '' style `` may not prove as right for the moment as a style that says , calm down , I can fix this , give me a chance . '' Read more about Perry . Perhaps it 's that toughness , though , that has kept Perry in office for so long . Perry holds the title as the nation 's longest-serving governor and boasts that he 's never lost an election since he first ran for the Texas House as a Democrat in 1984 . He assumed his role as governor in 2000 , when then-Gov . George W. Bush resigned to run for the White House . Romney , meanwhile , has often been described as cool and calm -- almost robotic -- and takes a business approach to governing and rarely shows his anger , political observers say . The former governor of the solidly blue state of Massachusetts has a history of crossing party lines to get legislation passed -- including the state 's universal health care plan . Several of his rivals for the Republican Party nomination have criticized the plan , which they call Romneycare , for making all state residents get health care insurance through subsidies or mandates . The dislike between Perry and Romney , though , comes down to their roots , Rollins said . Perry was born and raised in Paint Creek , a small town in the western part of Texas , and is the son of a tenant farmer . He graduated from Texas A & M University and later joined the Air Force , where he flew C-130 aircraft . He later returned to Paint Creek to help run his parents ' farm . `` He had nothing . He just scraped his entire life to get to where he was , '' Rollins said . Perry is also deemed somewhat of a guys ' guy , with a history of cowboy-like tendencies . In August 2010 , he shot and killed a coyote while jogging with his dog in Austin . Perry said he often carries a pistol on the trails because of snakes and other wildlife . Rollins said that perhaps Perry has anger for his fellow Republican because he `` sees a guy like Romney who sort of had everything handed to him , '' referring to the fact that Romney , 64 , is the son of George Romney , the former governor of Michigan who was once president of American Motors . Romney took a much different path than Perry . Born in Detroit , he became a Mormon missionary and later graduated from Brigham Young University in 1971 . Afterward , he received dual degrees from Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School . He later founded Bain Capital , a private equity firm , oversaw the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and successfully ran for governor . Read more about Romney . He is worth an estimated $ 190 million to $ 250 million , according to 2011 documents released by his campaign . Perry , though , is also wealthy and has a proven track record of raising millions of dollars in campaign cash .
Rick Perry of Texas is the nation 's longest-serving governor . Mitt Romney is a former Massachusetts governor and a 2008 GOP presidential nominee . Analysts say the two do not like each other and are polar opposites .