McCain and Romney's real conservative battle

Long Beach, California: Senator John McCain and Mitt Romney argued on Monday over who is the real conservative the day before Super Tuesday voting that could crown a presumptive Republican White House nominee.

Battling to stay in the race, Romney made a last-minute dash back from the east coast to California battleground state where he was pinning his hopes on recent polls showing him edging ahead of the Arizona senator.

"One of the reasons I came back to California is that I know that Republicans in California care very deeply about the heart and soul of the Republican Party," he said at an evening rally in Long Beach, California.

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, sought to stir discontent among conservatives who are sceptical about McCain's record of having voted against President George W. Bush's tax cuts and his moderate views on illegal immigration.

McCain ripped Romney at a campaign rally in Hamilton, New Jersey, saying Romney presided over a "big government, mandated health care plan" as governor of Massachusetts.

McCain has a lead over Romney in many states and has a chance of emerging from the Tuesday nominating contests as the presumptive Republican nominee.