Fla. primary’s 2-man fight on stage in 2nd debate


January 26, 2012 at 1:42p.m.

Fla. primary’s 2-man fight on stage in 2nd debate

COCOA, Fla. (AP) — A two-man fight for Florida is emerging ahead of the state’s final Republican presidential debate, with Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich pounding each other over personal and professional vulnerabilities.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul will take their places on the stage for tonight’s debate, but they have their sights set elsewhere and have largely stayed away from the Romney-Gingrich drama.

Public opinion polls have Romney and Gingrich in a tight race.

Sharp exchanges Wednesday highlighted the stakes in the battle to determine President Barack Obama’s fall challenger. Gingrich is trying to paint Romney as out-of-touch by noting his Swiss bank account and another in the Cayman Islands. But Gingrich also faced questions about his extramarital affair in the 1990s.