Seema Mehta

Standing face-to-face, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich traded barbs over honesty and integrity in an acrimonious debate that opened a fierce fight ahead of Florida's crucial presidential primary.

With time ebbing to catch front-runner Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidates brawled Thursday night in a debate that drew angry denunciations of the media from Newt Gingrich and spurred heated disagreements between Gingrich and fellow challenger Rick Santorum.

As Mitt Romney formally announced his presidential bid Thursday, two larger-than-life political personalities crashed into New Hampshire, stealing the nominal frontrunner's thunder and underscoring that the GOP field is far from settled.