US Republican White House contenders focused their attacks on President Barack Obama and refrained from attacking each other yesterday in their first major debate of the 2012 nominating race.
Seven White House candidates went toe-to-toe in Manchester, New Hampshire, all seeking both to attack Mr Obama and to raise their profiles among Republican voters nationwide.
After an introduction to each other on stage, the candidates went to their lecterns for the first of many debates.
'When 14 million Americans are out of work we need a new president to end the Obama depression,' Newt Gingrich, a former speaker of the House of Representatives, said.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is the early frontrunner for the party nomination, but rivals including Tea Party favourite Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who used the debate to declare her formal candidacy, were hoping to chip at his pedestal.
Mr Obama's re-election battle is not until November next year.
However, Republicans face a gruelling primary battle, with one of the first contests taking place in February in New Hampshire.
Republicans believe Mr Obama is deeply vulnerable towards the end of his first term over the nation's recovery from recession and persistent unemployment of more than 9%.
Latest polls confirm Mr Romney as the man to beat, with a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released yesterday giving him 24%.
But in an election season where the Republican Party faces internal tensions between moderates and the Tea Party, the nomination race is proving unpredictable.
With so much volatility, many were watching the relatively unknown Herman Cain - the only African American candidate for the Republican nomination - to earn a boost from the debate, which aired live on CNN.
The pizza entrepreneur has used forceful speaking skills to come from nowhere against the more established politicians and attract an enthusiastic and growing following.
A Gallup poll released on Sunday puts him a surprise third in the Republican field.
Other challengers at the debate included libertarian Texan Congressman Ron Paul, socially conservative former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, and former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty.
One thing they agreed on was hammering Mr Obama over the economy, which polls show will be the number one issue ahead of the November 2012 election, and his controversial healthcare measure.
Ms Bachmann, a Congressional leader of the libertarian and rightwing Tea Party movement, won applause from the audience when she cried out that President Obama 'is a one term president!'
The other thing that could unite most of the candidates was ganging up against Mr Romney.
The ex-governor is seen as the most heavyweight challenger, with the experience of a failed 2008 bid under his belt, but critics question his charisma.
He also shoulders the possibly deadlier burden, from a Republican perspective, of having introduced a universal healthcare plan to Massachusetts that looks much like the controversial measure enacted nationally by Mr Obama.
However, Mr Romney deftly took the issue head on, saying that he wished Mr Obama had given him a call to ask how to implement such measures better.
The national healthcare mandate, he said, would not survive under his presidency.
'If I am elected president I will repeal Obamacare,' he said.
The elephant in the room during the debate was Sarah Palin, another Tea Party figure and arguably the best known Republican in the country.
The former Alaskan governor, who so far has failed to appeal much beyond her wildly passionate core support, is flirting with a presidential run, but has yet to declare.
Gallup puts her second with 16%, while the CNN poll put her second with 20%.
Another non-participant is Jon Huntsman, who until recently was the US ambassador to China and is now seen as a potential dark horse candidate for the Republican nod.
He campaigned last week in New Hampshire and says he could declare within two weeks.
Mr Obama is also in campaign mode. Yesterday, he was discussing employment with business executives in the swing state of North Carolina.
The president was then due to head to another critical electoral state, Florida.
