U.S. Republican presidential candidates Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney
are in a tight race in Michigan, while Romney is enjoying a lead in
Arizona, ahead of primary elections in those states next week.
An average of polls in Michigan shows Santorum and Romney in an
extremely competitive race , as contenders Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul
trail far behind. In Arizona, the average shows Romney with an
eight-point lead over Santorum's 30 percent support.
However, an average of national polls for the Republican nomination
shows Santorum has a clear lead, with nearly 34 percent support, over
Romney's 28 percent.
The Republican candidates took part in a nationally televised debate
Wednesday night in Arizona, for their first such meet-up since January.
Santorum and Romney argued about each other's record on government
spending.
Romney
said Santorum had voted five times to increase the maximum debt the U.S.
could have, a point he has repeated on the campaign trail. Santorum
countered that Romney had said he supported a debt ceiling increase last
summer and wanted to raise taxes on the top one percent of U.S. earners,
which Romney denied.
Texas Representative Ron Paul accused Santorum of being a “fake”
conservative who professed one stance while campaigning, did something
different while in office, then pledged to repeal programs he had
supported.
Political analysts say the debate could leave a strong impression on
voters in Arizona and Michigan.
Then, on March 6, voters in 10 states head to the polls in what is known
as “Super Tuesday,” as they choose a challenger to take on President
Barack Obama, a Democrat, in November's general election.
