Romney battles to hold off Gingrich

MITT ROMNEY entered the final full day of campaigning in South Carolina’s primary contest scrambling to fend off challenges from more conservative rivals Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum and insisting he’s the one that Republicans can trust to “post up well” against President Barack Obama in the autumn.

With South Carolina’s critical primary today, Gingrich appeared to have gained vast ground on Romney, and South Carolina’s Senator Jim DeMint declared it a “two-man race.” Santorum insisted he’s still part of the equation and that he’s finally drawing enough campaign contributions to compete aggressively in Florida and beyond.

Rick Perry’s departure from the race, a raucous Charleston debate and fresh reminders of Gingrich’s tumultuous personal life promised to make the dash to today’s voting frenetic and the intra-party attacks increasingly sharp.