Romney set for landslide win in first primary

Mitt Romney is on course to win the New Hampshire primary by a landslide tonight.

The former Massachusetts governor is set to secure his place as the front runner for the Republican party nomination to take on Barack Obama in November with an overwhelming victory in the first primary of the marathon election campaign.

Such is his margin of support the real battle of tonight will be for second place between three of five rivals - Ron Paul, Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum. After losing to Romney by eight votes in the Iowa Caucus last week, all eyes will be on Mr Santorum to see if he can keep up the momentum.

The latest polls predict Mr Romney will win by as much as 24 per cent, having been the favourite for weeks. This will put him in a commanding position for a clean sweep of the rest of this month's primaries.

Polls show him winning in South Carolina next week and Florida at the end of the month. Mr Romney, 64, is so far ahead in New Hampshire that his rivals took to attacking him rather than focusing on President Obama and the Democrats.

Both Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry, who is not competing in New Hampshire, portrayed the former venture capitalist as a "corporate raider" who is out of touch with ordinary Americans. They mocked his claims that he understood what it was like to lose a job and accused him of mercilessly sacking people while building an estimated $250 million fortune.

The attacks relate to his role as founder of the firm Bain Capital in the Eighties which gained a reputation for taking over struggling companies, firing workers and then selling them off for huge profits.

A poll by the CBS network revealed that the majority of Republicans believe Mr Romney is the man who can oust Mr Obama. The polls also showed that Mr Romney has a two point lead over the President in an election match-up.