Mitt Romney on Wednesday cemented his standing as the Republican front-runner for the White House by sweeping to victory in the New Hampshire primary, turning back a ferocious assault from rivals.

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Leading Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney faced barrage of onslaught from his rivals on the eve of the crucial New Hampshire primary, which he has been leading by considerable margin against his rivals.

The first Republican vote to pick Barack Obama's presidential challenger turned out to be a photo-finish, as front-runner Mitt Romney barely managed to sneak past conservative Rick Santorum, whose sur