US Republican presidential candidates trade jabs
Source: Agencies |
January 31, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ON the eve of Florida's critical primary vote today, Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich traded nasty accusations over character, consistency and leadership.
In what has become a wildly unpredictable race to win the party's nomination to challenge President Barack Obama in November, Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, was going all out to crush Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives who has risen more than once -to lead in polls.
Romney fought back with aggressive debate performances, and an NBC News/Marist poll published Sunday showed him with support from 42 percent of likely Florida primary voters, compared with 27 percent for Gingrich. But after a crushing defeat by Gingrich earlier this month in South Carolina, Romney appeared as if he was trying to utterly deflate Gingrich's candidacy with withering attacks and assure a front-runner role for good.
So far, the three states that have held primaries or caucuses have picked three different winners. Florida, the largest and most diverse state to vote so far, could change that.
Gingrich was fighting back with his own now-customary invective.
"It's only when he can mass money to focus on carpet-bombing with negative ads that he gains any traction at all," Gingrich said on Sunday, as he continues to be sensitive to the millions of dollars that an independent so-called "super political action committee" that supports Romney has been spending on attack ads.
Romney was not letting up. Instead of stepping back and refocusing on President Barack Obama as he did earlier, he now hopes to close the Florida campaign strongly and to push Gingrich as far back as possible.
"His record is one of failed leadership," Romney said at a Sunday night rally.
In what has become a wildly unpredictable race to win the party's nomination to challenge President Barack Obama in November, Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, was going all out to crush Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives who has risen more than once -to lead in polls.
Romney fought back with aggressive debate performances, and an NBC News/Marist poll published Sunday showed him with support from 42 percent of likely Florida primary voters, compared with 27 percent for Gingrich. But after a crushing defeat by Gingrich earlier this month in South Carolina, Romney appeared as if he was trying to utterly deflate Gingrich's candidacy with withering attacks and assure a front-runner role for good.
So far, the three states that have held primaries or caucuses have picked three different winners. Florida, the largest and most diverse state to vote so far, could change that.
Gingrich was fighting back with his own now-customary invective.
"It's only when he can mass money to focus on carpet-bombing with negative ads that he gains any traction at all," Gingrich said on Sunday, as he continues to be sensitive to the millions of dollars that an independent so-called "super political action committee" that supports Romney has been spending on attack ads.
Romney was not letting up. Instead of stepping back and refocusing on President Barack Obama as he did earlier, he now hopes to close the Florida campaign strongly and to push Gingrich as far back as possible.
"His record is one of failed leadership," Romney said at a Sunday night rally.
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