A confident Mitt Romney criticised his Republican rivals and fended off attacks yesterday during a feisty presidential nomination debate that could help reinstall him as the party's presidential front-runner.
Mr Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, clashed with Texas governor Rick Perry and overshadowed Herman Cain, his two main challengers for the nomination to take on President Barack Obama in 2012. But Mr Perry showed signs of life after four shaky debates and Mr Cain suffered no knock-out blows.
Seeking to convince sceptical conservatives to get behind him, Mr Romney fought off attacks from Mr Perry, who brought up an old charge that he hired illegal immigrants to cut his lawn.
During a testy exchange, Mr Romney responded: "Texas has had a 60 percent increase in illegal immigrants in Texas. If there's someone who has a record as governor with regards to illegal immigration that doesn't stand up to muster, it's you, not me."
Polls show Mr Romney has the best chance of any Republican of defeating Mr Obama, whose approval ratings have dropped as he struggles to revive the economy and cut the US unemployment rate from 9 per cent.
But pizza magnate Mr Cain has headed recent polls of Republicans, many of whom think Mr Romney is not conservative enough to deserve the nomination. Mr Cain struggled to explain how middle-income Americans would avoid paying higher taxes under his signature "9-9-9" tax reform plan, however.
Mr Romney, a far more confident and polished debater than in his 2008 presidential run, put Mr Perry on the defensive over an evangelical pastor with ties to the Texas governor who criticized Mormonism.
"The idea that we should choose people, based on their religion, for public office is what I find to be most troubling," said Mr Romney, a Mormon. Mr Perry replied that he did not agree with what the preacher had said, but felt he had the right to express his opinion.
Tempers boiled over on the issue of illegal immigration as the two men pointed fingers and shouted over each other as Mr Perry brought up the story from Mr Romney's 2008 campaign, that he had hired a contractor that employed illegal Latin American workers to work on Mr Romney's lawn. Mr Romney fired the company when he found out about the undocumented workers.
"Mitt, you lose all of your standing, from my perspective, because you hired illegals in your home and you knew about it for a year," said Mr Perry, directly facing his opponent standing next to him.
The bickering spilled over into the after-debate "spin" room where aides to both candidates spoke to reporters.
"Rick Perry is desperate. He is trying to revive a candidacy that has sunk beneath the waves," said Romney senior aide Eric Fehrnstrom.
Perry spokesman Ray Sullivan said of the Texan: "He's passionate about calling folks out every now and then on their record."
Reuters