Republican rivals trade blows in key debate

Romney - once seen as the obvious nominee to challenge President Barack Obama in November but now tied with Gingrich in the polls - came out swinging Thursday, dismissing suggestions he is anti-immigrant and dodging taxes.

Immigration has been high on the agenda in Florida, which has a large Hispanic bloc.

Seeking to capitalize, Gingrich ridiculed Romney's proposal that illegal immigrants should willingly leave the country and re-apply for legal entry, stating, "I don't think grandmothers and grandfathers will self-deport."

Romney, who said his father was born in Mexico, and his father-in-law in Wales, angrily shot back: "I'm not going to find grandmothers and deport them. Those are your words. Not my words.

"Our problem is not 11 million grandmothers. Our problem is 11 million people getting jobs that many Americans, legal immigrants would like to have."

The high stakes of the debate, just five days ahead of Tuesday's vote in the Sunshine State, were evident in the terse exchanges on almost every issue, and from the relative lack of discussion about Obama.

Romney also ripped Gingrich's plans to establish a permanent base on the moon, largely with private funding. "It may be a big idea, but it's not a good idea," Romney said, suggesting that if a manager came to him with the proposal, the manager would be fired.

Romney and Gingrich are duking it out after the race for the Republican presidential nomination took an unexpected turn in South Carolina, where the former House speaker won handily.

Each of the first three nominating contests had different winners - former senator Rick Santorum in Iowa, Romney in New Hampshire and then Gingrich in South Carolina - upending the race as the candidates headed to Florida.

The fourth contender, small-government champion and Texas congressman Ron Paul, came in third in Iowa and second in New Hampshire.

The Florida primary is a winner-takes-all race for 50 delegates - nearly the same offered in the three previous contests combined - and is seen as a virtual must-win for Gingrich.

The accomplished debater did not land the knockout blow he would have hoped for on Thursday, but delivered a few jabs on home foreclosures, a key issue in Florida, which was at the epicenter of the housing crisis.

A loss in Florida would leave Gingrich's bare-bones campaign with an uphill struggle to reach the 1,144 delegates needed to win the nomination as the race opens out into multiple states.

A poor showing for Romney would highlight his struggles to connect with the party's conservative base and dispatch his rivals.

After the debate, one-time candidate turned Romney supporter Tim Pawlenty expressed support for Romney's newfound edge -- which should please establishment Republicans who fear Gingrich cannot defeat Obama.