Romney, Gingrich focus on Hispanic voters in Fla.

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, campaigns at Astrotech Space Operations in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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DORAL, Fla. — Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney urged conservatives to back off aggressive anti-immigration policies as the Republican presidential candidates vied for Hispanic votes Friday, a day marked by heightened tensions entering the final weekend before Florida’s primary.

“I’m very concerned about those who are already here illegally and how we deal with those 11 million or so,” Romney said. “My heart goes out to that group of people… We’re not going to go around and round people up in buses and ship them home.”

The compassionate approach, like Gingrich’s calls for politically practical reform, was aimed at improving the Republican Party’s tarnished reputation among Hispanics. Both men delivered speeches Friday to the same group of Hispanic leaders gathered in Miami but avoided — at least briefly — criticizing each other in what now looks like a two-man race for the nomination.

Any calls for temperance on immigration didn’t apply to personal attacks elsewhere.

The former House speaker released a new television ad in Florida using former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to question Romney’s integrity. “If a man’s dishonest to get a job, he’ll be dishonest on the job,” Huckabee says in the ad.

Romney avoided any direct response and flashed a newfound confidence as he campaigned Friday, the day after delivering a strong debate performance. “I’ve had the fun of two debates where I had to stand up and battle, and battling was fun and battling was won,” he told cheering supporters gathered at Cape Canaveral.

But tensions boiled over between the Gingrich and Romney representatives at a stop in Delray Beach.

Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond confronted Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who is among several high-profile Romney surrogates tailing the former House speaker.

Surrounded by reporters and cameras, Hammond goaded Chaffetz for employing a tactic that even 2008 presidential nominee John McCain has called into question. McCain is a Romney backer who on Friday said he would discourage that type of infiltration.

“What you’re saying is you’re disregarding the advice of one your top endorsers?” Hammond asked Chaffetz.

“Speaker Gingrich has routinely said he would follow the president from place to place. We think it’s a good idea,” Chaffetz responded, referring to Gingrich’s threat, if he wins the GOP nomination, to follow the Democratic incumbent from city to city to get the last word.

The outburst overshadowed a detailed discussion about immigration, in which the rivals called for democracy in Cuba and across Latin America, touching a theme that caused clashes between the GOP front-runners at Thursday night’s debate in Jacksonville.

Immigration is a flashpoint issue in Florida for the GOP candidates, who are trying to strike a balance between sounding compassionate toward immigrants and firm about stemming the tide of illegal workers. The state has roughly 1.5 million Hispanic voters.

Gingrich pushed for a measured approach to revising the nation’s immigration laws, “because any bill you write that is comprehensive has too many enemies.” The former House speaker says he wants stricter border control, faster deportation proceedings and a guest-worker program for certain immigrants.

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