The Sydney Morning Herald
Fiery Gingrich reels in Romney
WASHINGTON: The Republican White House hopeful Newt Gingrich was riding a surge of support as he headed into yesterday's key vote in South Carolina against the other party frontrunner, Mitt Romney.
Mr Gingrich nudged forward in the polls on Friday, following his aggressive performance the night before in a debate.
He railed against the moderator for asking about his second wife's allegation that he had wanted an ''open marriage'' so he could continue an affair with a mistress.
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The mistress eventually became the third and present wife of Mr Gingrich, who often strongly advocates family values.
''I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that,'' a feisty Mr Gingrich said, pointing a finger at John King of CNN.
Wild applause and hoots from the crowd supported his response.
The winner of the Republican primary contests will go up against Barack Obama, who is seeking re-election in November.
Mr Gingrich has eaten away at Mr Romney's advantage and held a 2 percentage point lead over the former governor of Massachusetts, according to an average of five main polls calculated by RealClearPolitics.com. Mr Gingrich held 32.4 per cent support; Mr Romney held 30.4 per cent.
Earlier in the week Mr Romney led by as much as 14 percentage points in some polls. But his continuing refusal to release his tax records has focused attention on the fact that the multimillionaire pays only 15 per cent tax - far less than the maximum 35 per cent - largely because most of his income came from investments, which are taxed at a lower rate.
His rivals, who include the former senator Rick Santorum and the US Congressman Ron Paul, have hounded him on the financial issues. Two other Republican hopefuls - the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, and the former ambassador to China Jon Huntsman - have dropped out.
Mr Romney also received another blow on Thursday when certified results from the first of the state-by-state nominating contests in Iowa showed he had lost by a handful of votes instead of winning by a slight margin reported from initial results.
A Clemson University poll showed Mr Gingrich with a 6-point lead over Romney, 32 per cent to 26 per cent.
Mr Romney's once substantial advantage at the national level may also be shrinking. The latest Gallup poll said his lead over Gingrich plummeted to 30 to 20, compared with 37 to 14 a week ago.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/fiery-gingrich-reels-in-romney-20120121-1qb54.html
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