In LaBelle, Florida -
From opposite ends of the state, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney traded shots in Florida on Saturday, as Gingrich vowed to stay in this race no matter what happens next week in the Sunshine State's primary.
"I will go all the way to the convention; I expect to win the nomination," the former Speaker said flatly.
"We just had two national polls that show me ahead," Gingrich told reporters, rejecting any assertion that he should think about leaving the race if he loses in Florida.
"Why don't you ask Gov. Romney what he's going to do if he loses?" Gingrich said.
Gingrich took a number of shots at Romney both in his news conference at the PGA Museum of Golf in Port St. Lucie as well as in a speech to several hundred people gathered outside on the chipping greens of the PGA facility.
"We ran a moderate in 1996 and we lost," Gingrich said. "We ran a moderate in 2008 and we lost."
"The only way to defeat Barack Obama is to run a solid conservative," said Gingrich, referring to himself as the ideal choice.
Newt Gingrich speaking to supporters at the PGA Museum of Golf
Inside with reporters, Gingrich turned up the heat, saying it's almost impossible to debate Romney.
"There's no practical way in a civil debate who is that willing to say something that is totally dishonest," as Gingrich again accused Romney of running ads filled with lies.
"People say I'm a good debater; I can't debate someone who won't tell the truth," Gingrich added.
While Gingrich was down in South Florida, Romney was making stops in the Florida Panhandle, holding a morning rally in Pensacola and an afternoon event in Panama City.
Romney started with his usual critique of the Obama Administration, but also added in several jabs at Gingrich, whom he labeled to some catcalls from the crowd, a "very nice fellow."
Romney zeroed in on Gingrich's ethics troubles in Congress, saying that the Speaker "resigned in disgrace," and that "he is not the leader we need in a critical time."
Earlier in the day, Romney's team had rolled out a new attack ad against Gingrich on the ethics issue, but it immediately ran into controversy because it used footage from the NBC Nightly News with former anchor Tom Brokaw.
NBC and Brokaw demanded that Romney pull the ad, because they had not given permission to use the footage.
Even before NBC objected, the Gingrich campaign denounced the ad as "another big lie."
Romney and Gingrich will criss-cross the state again on Sunday and Monday, both urging supporters to go out and find friends to take to the polls.
The latest polls have Romney ahead of Gingrich by 7-9 points in Florida.
