Mitt Romney boxes clever with victory over Newt Gingrich in final debate before Florida vote

THE race for the Republican nomination for the US presidential contest looks set to go to the wire after former front-runner Mitt Romney trounced bitter rival Newt Gingrich in the final debate before the crucial Florida caucuses.

The former governor of Massachusetts went on the offensive as he sought to blunt the attacks of former-House speaker Mr Gingrich in an acrimonious contest for the presidential nod.

Possibly for the first time in the long series of TV debates, Mr Romney prevailed, slowing the momentum of a resurgent Gingrich campaign just days before the next primary ballot.

Mr Romney demanded an apology for being called an “anti-immigrant” candidate.

“That’s simply inexcusable,” he said, adding that his father was born in Mexico and his father-in-law came from Wales.

It was a bad night for Mr Gingrich, who had been on a roll since comfortably taking the South Carolina primary.

Even his fall-back position of attacking the media failed.

Earlier this week, Mr Romney revealed he paid just 14 per cent on annual income in excess of $20 million, with wealth squirrelled away in Swiss and Cayman Island accounts.

Having openly criticised his rival’s tax arrangements, Mr Gingrich attempted in the debate to paint the issue as one driven by the liberal media.

But Mr Romney butted in: “Wouldn’t it be nice if people didn’t make accusations somewhere else that they weren’t willing to defend here?”