Romney under attack on eve of New Hampshire primary

After months of frenzied competition and appeals from a crowd of Republican presidential candidates, voters will cast the first ballots of the 2012 presidential election today in New Hampshire, where former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is under intense pressure to end doubts about his front-runner strength by delivering a commanding win.


Romney's six GOP challengers made last-ditch drives Monday in diners and town hall meetings across the Granite State, trying to cut into his robust lead, which in recent days has been eroded by withering attacks in back-to-back debates.


In the final hours of campaigning, Romney raised eyebrows - and more questions about his private-sector experience - when he told voters at the Chamber of Commerce in Nashua, "I like being able to fire people who provide services to me."


The unscripted remark referred to Americans being able to "fire" their health insurers, but it handed ammunition to former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who is coming on strong in the battle with Romney for the key independent voters in the state.


With seven campaign stops on his agenda, Mr Huntsman was the busiest of the candidates on the eve-of-primary day.




Rick Santorum is trying to position himself as the leading "true conservative" candidate
Texas Governor Rick Perry has begun campaigning in South Carolina ahead of the 21 January primary there.


Mr Romney has faced mounting criticism from rivals over his years at a private equity firm, Bain Capital.


The company carried out corporate restructuring projects under Mr Romney's leadership.


A Reuters news agency report on one of the companies that Bain bought in the 1990s found that it had doubled its purchase price of a steel mill, but ultimately the mill declared bankruptcy and laid off 750 workers.


Rick Perry used the opportunity to attack Mr Romney's remark over the weekend that he knew what it was like to fear getting a "pink slip", or being fired.


"I have no doubt that Mitt Romney was worried about pink slips, whether he was going to have enough of them to hand out," Mr Perry said on Monday.


In an appearance on NBC's Today show, Mr Gingrich said Mr Romney "owes us a report on his stewardship" of Bain Capital.


The former House speaker's remarks came as a pro-Gingrich political action committee - known as a Super PAC - unveiled a short film attacking Mr Romney over his business career.