US Republican Rivals Clash Over Ommigration
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 11:11 pm
Republican front-runners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have clashed at a debate in Florida, the last before the key state’s primary. Gingrich cast Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, as the most anti-immigrant candidate of the four contenders for the Republican nomination in the campaign debate on Thursday.
Romney appeals to the more moderate wing of the Republican Party while Santorum and Gingrich are competing for the conservative vote. On Wednesday, Newt Gingrich’s campaign pulled a Spanish-language ad labeling Romney as anti-immigrant after Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida complained it was “inflammatory.”
Gingrich and Romney, both candidates are desperate to claim victory to bolster their candidacy for later nominating contests. If Gingrich pulls off a second straight victory after his decisive triumph in last Saturday’s primary in South Carolina, he would be seen as the front-runner in the race despite Romney’s advantages in fundraising and organization.
Romney and Gingrich are neck-and-neck in Florida’s opinion polls following the latter’s upset win in South Carolina’s primary last week. Opinion polls make the race a close one, with Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, and Paul trailing far behind.
Thursday’s audience did play a bigger part in the debate, in contrast to the other Florida debate on Monday, at which attendees were asked to hold their applause. Gingrich added that his position, by contrast, would be “bold” but “realistic.” Immigration is a hot-button issue in Florida, which holds its primary on Tuesday.
Rep. Ron Paul, for his part, argued that he is the most electable because the votes he has drawn so far show his message of liberty and personal freedom appeals to voters across the ideological spectrum.But Romney, who said his father was born in Mexico and his father-in-law in Wales, replied: “I’m not going to find grandmothers and deport them.”
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