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Gingrich mounts challenge to Romney in South Carolina vote

Jan 21, 2012, 0:03 GMT

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich responds to a question during the CNN Southern Republican Presidential Debate at the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, South Carolina, USA, 19 January 2012. EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS

Washington - Republican White House hopeful Newt Gingrich was riding a surge of support as he headed into Saturday's face-off in South Carolina against the other frontrunner in the party's race for the presidential nomination, Mitt Romney.

Gingrich nudged forward in the polls on Friday, following his aggressive performance the night before in a debate. He railed against the moderator for asking a question about his second wife's recent allegation that he had wanted an 'open marriage' so he could continue an affair with a mistress.

The mistress eventually became the third and current wife of Gingrich, who often strongly advocates for family values.

'I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that,' said a feisty Gingrich, pointing a finger at John King of CNN, who stood several feet from the podium.

Wild applause and hoots from the crowd supported his response.

The winner of the state-by-state Republican primary contests will go up against US President Barack Obama, a Democrat, who is seeking reelection in November.

Gingrich has eaten away at Romney's advantage, and held a 2 percentage lead over the former governor of Massachusetts, according to an average of five main polls calculated by RealClearPolitics.com. Gingrich held 32.4 per cent support, while Romney held 30.4 per cent.

Earlier in the week, Romney led by as much as 14 percentage points in some polls. But Romney's continuing refusal to release his tax records has focussed attention on the fact that the multi-millionaire pays only a 15-per-cent tax rate - far less than the maximum 35 per cent - largely because most of his income came from investments, which are taxed at a lower rate.

His rivals, who include former US Senator Rick Santorum and US Congressman Ron Paul, have hounded him on the financial issues. Two other hopefuls for the Republican nomination - Texas Governor Rick Perry and former ambassador to China Jon Huntsman - have dropped out.

Romney also received another blow Thursday when official, certified results from the first of the state-by-state nominating contests in Iowa showed he had lost by a handful of votes instead of winning by a slight margin reported from initial results.