Giuliani, Romney remove gloves
CONCORD, N.H. – With Rudy Giuliani looking to spring a surprise against Mitt Romney in the state hosting the nation’s first primary, the race for the Republican presidential nomination took a sharply negative turn here Sunday as the two candidates traded accusations about taxes, crime, immigration, abortion and ethical standards.
The rhetorical volleys underscored the growing stakes in New Hampshire, where Romney leads in the polls but Giuliani believes he has a chance to derail the former Massachusetts governor’s campaign before it can build momentum.
Leading in national polls, Giuliani had long appeared to be playing down the importance of early voting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire in favor of the bigger states that hold their contests in late January and early February. But he said in an interview Saturday that he intends to win here. “We think we can catch him and get ahead of him,” he said of Romney.
Romney responded by tweaking the former New York mayor, saying Giuliani sounded increasingly worried about losing the nomination: “He’s not in the top three in Iowa, and he’s not in the first two in New Hampshire, so desperate times for Mayor Giuliani call for desperate effort.”
Romney dramatically escalated the attacks Sunday with a salvo at Giuliani, who had earlier criticized him over a judicial appointee who had overruled a lower court and ordered the release of a convicted killer who has since been charged with another killing. Romney has called on the judge to resign. With his wife, Ann, and other members of his family at his side, he said it is essential for Republicans to pick a nominee “who can distinguish himself on family values” from the Democratic front-runner, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.
He then proceeded to link Giuliani to Clinton on abortion, gay rights and immigration, and ended with tough words for the former mayor’s support for former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik to be secretary of homeland security. Kerik, a longtime friend and confidant of the former mayor, was recently indicted on multiple corruption charges.