Rivals target Romney in a bid to stall nomination

REPUBLICAN favourite Mitt Romney emerged from back-to-back debates in New Hampshire a bit dinged but not seriously dented yesterday, as rivals stepped up attacks to slow his march toward the presidential nomination.

Two days before voters in the small New England state head to the polls, Romney took heat on a number of topics: his record as governor of neighbouring Massachusetts, the attack ads run by an outside group on his behalf and a suggestion he would wither in the face of attacks from Barack Obama.

But there was little to suggest he had suffered any setback in a pair of debates in New Hampshire, where he is heavily favoured to win.