THE columnist Patrick Buchanan, the authentic voice of angry, white Christian, American nationalism, has edged to the front in an eight man race for Republican votes in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.
After a discordant public debate on Thursday evening, tracking polls showed Mr Buchanan ahead with 26 points compared to 23 for the Senate Majority leader Mr Bob Dole, 18 for the former Tennessee governor, Mr Lamar Alexander, and 15 for the publisher, Mr Steve Forbes.
Most of the candidates used the debate in Manchester, New Hampshire, as an opportunity to pull down Senator Dole, the front runner in the race for nomination at the party's summer convention.
Mr Dole fought back gamely, accusing Mr Forbes of trying to buy the election, reminding Mr Alexander he was the first to use negative campaign advertising and calling Mr Buchanan an extremist. A war hero, the 72 year old Mr Dole said afterwards he felt he deserved another purple heart.
The extremist charge carries extra weight after Mr Buchanan's campaign co chairman, Mr Larry Pratt was forced to quit on Thursday when it was disclosed he had attended meetings of white supremacist organisations and right wing militia leaders.
Mr Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, denied any connection with these groups, pointing out that he was a member of the Congress of Racial Equality. The charges were made by the Centre for Public Integrity, a Washington based watchdog group.
Mr Pratt was alleged to have associated with Mr Bo Gritz, a vice presidential running mate of the former Ku Klux Klan leader, Mr David Duke, a former Texas KKK leader, Mr Louis Beam, and an Aryan Nations pastor, Mr Richard Butler.
Mr Buchanan, who has courted blue collar votes by attacking international trade rivals which allegedly deprived Americans of jobs, vigorously defended Mr Pratt during the debate, saying his campaign aide had been "appalled and disgusted" to find these people at meetings he had attended.
But the incident has focussed attention on the issue of tolerance on which Mr Buchanan is vulnerable. He once described Hitler as "an individual of great courage extraordinary gifts."
Mr Buchanan struck out at Mr Dole for calling him an extremist. "Bob it is not true. Pat Buchanan is not an extremist. Those are the cuss words of the establishment," he said at the debate. If he was an extremist, why was Mr Dole stealing his ideas, he asked, referring to the senator's recent attacks on big business for mass redundancies, a favourite Buchanan theme.
Illegal immigration is soaring into this country," Mr Buchanan said. "Mexico is the prime source of narcotics and drugs and my good friend, Senator Dole, negotiated a 50 billion bail out with Bill Clinton with the regime that brought this all about."
Mr Dole retorted "Pat's off on this isolationist kick build a wall around America. What's the matter, Pat, did you have a bad day."
Mr Alexander, having emerged from this week's Iowa caucus as a serious presidential contender, is also coming under close scrutiny by the media, which has unearthed some Whitewater type financial dealings in his past.
The Wall Street Journal alleged that Mr Alexander enlisted a friend to buy a Tennessee holiday property and later proposed a highway extension to the area. CBS questioned whether he had used his state connections to become a millionaire. The Boston Globe said that some of his financial investments made Mrs Hillary Rodham Clinton's ability to turn $1,000 into $100,000 - a reference to a controversial cattle futures deal - like winning the pot in penny poker.
Mr Forbes, who spent millions on negative advertising, attacked the two term Tennessee governor for engaging in "various scams" to become rich. He cited one report which claimed he had turned a one dollar investment in a Tennessee newspaper into a $600,000 profit.
Mr Alexander, who promotes moderate conservatism, countered by saying this had only emerged because he had published his tax returns, something Mr Forbes has refused to do.
Senator Dole also turned on the publisher, saying: "I know what your problem is. You've got a lot of money and you want to buy this election. This election is not for sale."
Saying Mr Forbes had damaged him by negative advertising, Mr Dole reached over and gave him photographs of himself, his wife and his dog Leader, saying he should rise those in future.
A rank outsider, Mr Bob Dornan, who has a reputation for combativeness, urged his colleagues to stop fighting.
