Republicans fight key Presidential contest in Florida

Republican Presidential hopefuls John McCain and Mitt Romney dug in for a fierce battle in Florida Tuesday, as ex-New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani faced high stakes in his bid for the state's primary.

With Giuliani and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee sidelined in opinion polls, McCain and Romney hit out at each other on the economy and the Iraq war, two major issues for voters, in the hours leading up to balloting.

Senator Hillary Clinton was the clear favorite here ahead of a Democratic primary that could give her a symbolic boost but little else since the national party stripped Florida of delegates after the state violated the rules by changing the date of its vote.

But she suffered a stinging blow on Monday as her rival Barack Obama won the endorsement of influential Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, the last surviving brother of assassinated President John F. Kennedy.

Washington, Tuesday, AFP