Two days before the first primary election in the United States, the six Republicans vying for the party's presidential nomination gathered Sunday for the second debate in as many days.

During Saturday's debate in the northeastern state of New Hampshire, where Tuesday's election is being held, former ((Massachusetts) governor Mitt Romney faced a barrage of criticism from his fellow contenders.

In Sunday's debate, Romney defended his record, while calling for the government to cut spending rather than raise taxes as President Barack Obama is urging. Romney was repeating a common Republican Party theme.

Mr. Obama, a Democrat, is seeking a second four-year term in office in this November's general election.

Romney, the leading candidate for the nomination, has been attacked by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, a former U.S. senator , about his previous career running a private business investment firm. Many observers say the firm laid off hundreds of employees from their jobs, while making a profit for the investors.

Much of the political debate over the past several months has focused on the need to create jobs in order to reduce unemployment.

“I'm not nearly as enamored of a Wall Street model where you can flip companies, and go in and have leveraged buyouts. You can basically take out all the money, leaving behind the workers.”

“Business experience doesn't necessarily match up with being the commander-in-chief of this country. The commander-in-chief of this country isn't a CEO. It's someone who has to, has to lead, and it's also – being the president is not a CEO. You can't direct, you know, members of Congress and members of the Senate as to how you do things. You've got to lead and inspire.”

Both Gingrich and Santorum are running as a more conservative alternative to Romney.

The three other remaining Republican candidates – U.S. Representative Ron Paul, Texas Governor Rick Perry and former U.S. ambassador to China Jon Huntsman – spent much of the debate criticizing each other's credentials as much as they attacked Romney.

The results of Tuesday's primary election in New Hampshire, where public opinion surveys show Romney with a comfortable lead, are considered an important indicator of which candidate is likely to get the Republican nomination.

Romney narrowly defeated Santorum in last week's Iowa caucus. Though a likely victor in New Hampshire, Romney faces a more difficult challenge in the more conservative southern state of South Carolina, which holds its primary on January 21.