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McCain, Romney fight for Florida
29/01/2008 13:55 - (SA)
Tampa, Florida - Republicans John McCain and Mitt Romney kept hammering each other on the economy and national security heading into the pivotal Florida primary on Tuesday that could solidify one man as the front-runner for the party's presidential nomination.
Critical phone calls, negative radio ads, and bitter, personal exchanges marked the final hours before the primary.
The contest offers the winner the state's 57 delegates to this summer's Republican national convention and a big burst of energy in the weeklong sprint to Super Tuesday on Feb. 5, when 20-plus states hold nominating contests with more than 1 000 delegates at stake.
Dead heat
Acrimony has replaced the recent civility of the Republican race as the candidates pin their hopes on Florida's primary, Recent polls show McCain, the Arizona senator, and Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, in a dead heat.
Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor who has trailed far behind in six straight contests, is seeking a win to remain a viable candidate. But he is far behind in the polls, and a poor showing could force him to abandon his bid. Also lagging is Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and ordained Baptist minister, who has not won since the Iowa caucuses nearly a month ago.
On Monday, Romney and McCain accused each other of being liberals, a charge tantamount to blasphemy among Republicans.
Romney lambasted the Arizona senator for a host of "liberal answers" to the country's problems. Among them: McCain's legislation curbing money in politics, his more forgiving view of illegal immigrants and his backing of an energy bill that Romney said would raise consumer costs.
"And I just don't think those liberal answers are what America is looking for, not for the Republican Party or for any party, for that matter," Romney said in Fort Myers, Florida.
McCain accused Romney of "wholesale deception of voters" and of flip-flopping on the issues.
"On every one of the issues he has attacked us on, Mitt Romney was for it before he was against it," McCain said.
He added, "The truth is, Mitt Romney was a liberal governor of Massachusetts who raised taxes, imposed with Ted Kennedy a big government mandate health care plan that is now a quarter of a billion dollars in the red, and managed his state's economy incompetently, leaving Massachusetts with less job growth than 46 other states."
Several factors are certain to affect the outcome. The Florida primary is open only to Republican voters; McCain's other wins, in New Hampshire and South Carolina, were fuelled in part by independents able to cast ballots in the Republican contest.
Democratic primary
Democrat Barack Obama looked to close the gap with Hillary Rodham Clinton heading into next week's virtual national primary after securing the coveted endorsement of Senator Edward M Kennedy.
Florida also holds a Democratic contest on Tuesday, but the party's candidates all agreed to a pledge imposed by national party leaders not to publicly campaign there because of a dispute with state party officials. The Democratic National Committee stripped Florida of all its convention delegates for violating party rules by holding its primary earlier than February 5.
- AP
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