The top Republican White House contenders battled on Sunday over who was the better conservative, with Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney defending their records and views on social issues from strong attacks.
In a debate in the election swing state of Florida, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson accused Giuliani of being out of step with the conservative values of the Republican Party and Arizona Sen. John McCain attacked Romney’s conservative credentials.
Thompson, a latecomer to the race who is chasing Giuliani in national opinion polls, said the former New York mayor’s support for abortion rights and gun control put him in a league with Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, a New York senator.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee likened the freewheeling exchange between the top contenders to “a demolition derby.”
The candidates didn’t just go after each other last night. Nearly all the candidates delivered blistering attacks on Democrat front runner Sen. Hillary Clinton to uproarious applause.
