MITT Romney victory in tomorrow’s South Carolina primary is now looking less than certain.
Texas governor Rick Perry asked supporters to vote for Mr Romney’s rival, Newt Gingrich, when he withdrew from the race yesterday.
“I have no question that Newt Gingrich has the heart of a conservative reformer . . . the courage to tell those Washington interests to take a hike if that’s what’s in the best interest of our country,” Mr Perry told a press conference here.
Mr Perry’s campaign failed because of poor debate performances. In his famous “oops moment” he could not remember which government departments he wanted to dismantle.
In another element of uncertainty, the former pizza magnate and failed presidential hopeful Herman Cain was expected to endorse a candidate – possibly Mr Gingrich – in a speech to the Southern Republican Leadership Conference late yesterday.
Some opinion polls indicate Mr Gingrich, who is from neighbouring Georgia and who appeals to South Carolina’s Tea Partiers and evangelical Christians, is eroding Mr Romney’s support.
A CNN poll on Wednesday gave Mr Romney a 10-point advantage over Mr Gingrich in South Carolina. But an Insider Advantage poll publicised by the Gingrich campaign placed Mr Gingrich in the lead, at 32 per cent to Mr Romney’s 29 per cent.
"Anyone who has had that experience understands it is a personal tragedy filled with regrets and sometimes differing memories of events," their statement said.
A CNN/Time South Carolina poll released Wednesday showed Gingrich in second place with support from 23 percent of likely primary voters, having gained 5 percentage points in the past two weeks. Romney led in the poll with 33 percent, but he had slipped some since the last survey. Santorum was third, narrowly ahead of Texas Rep. Ron Paul and well ahead of Perry.
Regardless of the South Carolina outcome, Gingrich was making plans to compete in Florida's primary on Jan. 31.
Confidence exuded from Gingrich, who rose in Iowa only to be knocked off course after sustaining $3 million in attack ads in Iowa from an outside group that supports Romney. Gingrich posted dismal showings in both Iowa and New Hampshire.
By the time the race turned to South Carolina, he was sharply criticizing Romney as a social moderate who is timid about attacking the nation's economic troubles. He also raised questions about Romney's experience as a venture capitalist, while a super PAC that supports Gingrich aggressively attacked Romney as a vicious corporate raider. Gingrich also ripped Romney for standing by as a super PAC run by former top Romney political aides continued to attack him in South Carolina.
Romney ended up on the defensive and by Monday night's debate, Gingrich was back in command. He earned a standing ovation when he labeled Democratic President Barack Obama "the best food stamp president in American history." The clip became the centerpiece of a television ad that began airing Wednesday as Gingrich worked to cast himself as the Republican with the best chance of beating Obama in the fall, stealing a page from Romney's playbook.
Said Gingrich senior adviser David Winston: "His taking on Barack Obama showed a toughness and an electability that the electorate is looking for."
Since then, Romney's campaign, sensing Gingrich's rise and working to deflect from its own troubles, has been trying to undercut Gingrich's claim that he helped President Ronald Reagan create millions of jobs in the 1980s, likening it to "Al Gore taking credit for the Internet."
Romney also dispatched supporters to make the case that Gingrich is erratic and unreliable. A new Romney Web video features former Republican Rep. Susan Molinari of New York saying Gingrich lacked discipline and labeling his time as speaker "leadership by chaos."
Gingrich, for his part, has been helped by the fact that Santorum has seemed unable to capitalize on the endorsement of a group of influential Christian conservatives. Those who aren't backing the former Pennsylvania senator seem to be coming Gingrich's way.
Texas governor Rick Perry asked supporters to vote for Mr Romney’s rival, Newt Gingrich, when he withdrew from the race yesterday.
“I have no question that Newt Gingrich has the heart of a conservative reformer . . . the courage to tell those Washington interests to take a hike if that’s what’s in the best interest of our country,” Mr Perry told a press conference here.
Mr Perry’s campaign failed because of poor debate performances. In his famous “oops moment” he could not remember which government departments he wanted to dismantle.
In another element of uncertainty, the former pizza magnate and failed presidential hopeful Herman Cain was expected to endorse a candidate – possibly Mr Gingrich – in a speech to the Southern Republican Leadership Conference late yesterday.
Some opinion polls indicate Mr Gingrich, who is from neighbouring Georgia and who appeals to South Carolina’s Tea Partiers and evangelical Christians, is eroding Mr Romney’s support.
A CNN poll on Wednesday gave Mr Romney a 10-point advantage over Mr Gingrich in South Carolina. But an Insider Advantage poll publicised by the Gingrich campaign placed Mr Gingrich in the lead, at 32 per cent to Mr Romney’s 29 per cent.
"Anyone who has had that experience understands it is a personal tragedy filled with regrets and sometimes differing memories of events," their statement said.
A CNN/Time South Carolina poll released Wednesday showed Gingrich in second place with support from 23 percent of likely primary voters, having gained 5 percentage points in the past two weeks. Romney led in the poll with 33 percent, but he had slipped some since the last survey. Santorum was third, narrowly ahead of Texas Rep. Ron Paul and well ahead of Perry.
Regardless of the South Carolina outcome, Gingrich was making plans to compete in Florida's primary on Jan. 31.
Confidence exuded from Gingrich, who rose in Iowa only to be knocked off course after sustaining $3 million in attack ads in Iowa from an outside group that supports Romney. Gingrich posted dismal showings in both Iowa and New Hampshire.
By the time the race turned to South Carolina, he was sharply criticizing Romney as a social moderate who is timid about attacking the nation's economic troubles. He also raised questions about Romney's experience as a venture capitalist, while a super PAC that supports Gingrich aggressively attacked Romney as a vicious corporate raider. Gingrich also ripped Romney for standing by as a super PAC run by former top Romney political aides continued to attack him in South Carolina.
Romney ended up on the defensive and by Monday night's debate, Gingrich was back in command. He earned a standing ovation when he labeled Democratic President Barack Obama "the best food stamp president in American history." The clip became the centerpiece of a television ad that began airing Wednesday as Gingrich worked to cast himself as the Republican with the best chance of beating Obama in the fall, stealing a page from Romney's playbook.
Said Gingrich senior adviser David Winston: "His taking on Barack Obama showed a toughness and an electability that the electorate is looking for."
Since then, Romney's campaign, sensing Gingrich's rise and working to deflect from its own troubles, has been trying to undercut Gingrich's claim that he helped President Ronald Reagan create millions of jobs in the 1980s, likening it to "Al Gore taking credit for the Internet."
Romney also dispatched supporters to make the case that Gingrich is erratic and unreliable. A new Romney Web video features former Republican Rep. Susan Molinari of New York saying Gingrich lacked discipline and labeling his time as speaker "leadership by chaos."
Gingrich, for his part, has been helped by the fact that Santorum has seemed unable to capitalize on the endorsement of a group of influential Christian conservatives. Those who aren't backing the former Pennsylvania senator seem to be coming Gingrich's way.
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