Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, walks down the street as he knocks on doors seeking support for his campaign Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, walks down the street as he knocks on doors seeking support for his campaign Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at a town hall style event in the Staten Island borough of New York Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain delivers an announcement Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, at a campaign event in Atlanta. "I am suspending my presidential campaign because of the continued distractions and the continued hurt caused on me and my family," Cain told supporters gathered at what was to have become his national campaign headquarters. (AP Photo/David Tulis)
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (AP) ? The once-bursting 2012 Republican presidential field is narrowing to a two-man race, and voters have one month before casting the first votes to narrow it to one. Barring a dramatic new turn, their top options to challenge President Barack Obama will be the steady but often bland demeanor of Mitt Romney and the idea-a-minute bombast of Newt Gingrich.
Herman Cain's suspension of his campaign Saturday over allegations of an affair and sexual harassment, and Texas Governor Rick Perry's continued struggles to regain traction, have focused the party's attention on Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, and Gingrich, the former U.S. House of Representatives speaker. They offer striking contrasts in personality, government experience and campaign organization.
Romney has maintained a political infrastructure since his 2008 presidential bid, especially in the early voting state of New Hampshire. Gingrich, whose campaign nearly collapsed several months ago, is relying much more heavily on his televised debate performances and the goodwill he built up with conservatives as a congressional leader in the 1980s and 1990s.
Gingrich's efforts appear to be paying off in Iowa, which holds first-in-the-nation caucuses Jan. 3.
A Des Moines Register poll released late Saturday found Gingrich leading the Republican field with 25 percent support among likely caucus goers. U.S. Representative Ron Paul of Texas had 18 percent support and Romney, who began campaigning in Iowa in earnest only recently, had 16 percent.
Cain's announcement Saturday offered a possible opening for Romney or Gingrich to make a dramatic move in hopes of seizing momentum for the sprint to the Iowa caucus. Neither man has so far. They appear willing to play things carefully and low-key for now.
At a town hall meeting in New York sponsored by tea party supporters, Gingrich declined to characterize the race as a direct contest between himself and Romney. Any of the remaining Republican contenders could stage a comeback before the Iowa caucuses, he said. "I'm not going to say that any of my friends can't suddenly surprise us," Gingrich said.
But once high-flying contenders such as Perry and Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota have not managed to bounce back so far, despite weeks of trying.
Gingrich was careful when asked why voters should choose him over Romney.
"I'll let you decide. I think we are very, very different in a wide variety of ways," Gingrich said.
Romney seemed as eager as Gingrich to avoid casting the contest as anywhere close to decided. He repeatedly turned aside reporters' invitations to attack Gingrich, offering only gentle critiques. As usual, he aimed much sharper remarks at Obama.
"I don't think people have really settled down, in a final way, to decide who they're going to support in the nomination process," Romney told reporters in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he held a rally. "I hope they give us a good, careful look."
Gingrich has been the most obvious beneficiary of Cain's precipitous slide. But Perry, Bachmann and possibly others are likely to make a play for Cain's antiestablishment tea party backing. Time is running short for them to establish themselves as the top alternative to Romney, who has long been viewed with suspicion by many conservatives.
Cain said he would offer an endorsement. His former rivals were quick to issue statements on Saturday praising his conservative ideals and grassroots appeal.
Asked if he fears that Gingrich will draw more tea party support, Romney said tea party activists "want someone who comes from outside Washington," someone who has spent his life "in the private sector, who has learned the experiences of the American economy."
"Speaker Gingrich is a fine person," Romney said, "but he spent his life in Washington, the last 40 years. That doesn't exactly line up with the tea party."
Romney also noted that Gingrich would end taxes on dividends and capital gains for everyone, whereas Romney would keep them in place for the wealthiest Americans.
Asked at the day's end why he was being so gentle with Gingrich, Romney replied: "I think the right course for me is to continue talking about my vision for the country, my experience, and how I'd lead the nation. And Speaker Gingrich will get the chance to do the same thing."
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Fouhy reported from New York.
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