Mitt Romney on '47 percent': I was 'completely wrong'

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said his remark that 47% of Americans are government dependent victims was "completely wrong". Romney, widely perceived to have won the first round of presidential debates with Barack Obama in Denver, Colorado, addressed the controversy in an interview on Fox News on Friday.

Up until now, Romney has said that he had chosen his words poorly, but had not disavowed his comment. The original remarks, secretly recorded during a fundraiser in May and posted online in September by the magazine Mother Jones, sparked intense criticism of Romney and provided fodder to those who portray him as an out-of-touch millionaire oblivious to the lives of average Americans.

Polls suggest he is back on track after a debate with President Barack Obama this week. Obama has urged him to reveal the true cost of his policies. "Clearly in a campaign with hundreds if not thousands of speeches and question-and-answer sessions, now and then you're going to say something that doesn't come out right," Romney said on Fox News.

US Presidential debate: Polls show Mitt Romney won TV debate with Obama

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has been declared the clear winner of Wednesday's first campaign debate as President Barack Obama stopped short of offensive attacks against his challenger. After the 90-minute duel centring on taxes, the deficit and healthcare, polls gave Romney a 46-67% margin with Obama trailing with 22-25%.

Both candidates spoke compassionately about people they had met who could not afford health insurance or needed care, either for themselves or their families. CNN poll shows overwhelming victory for Romney as voters say Republican is better leader than President. Echoing the words of Vice President Biden earlier in the week, Romney said: “Under the president’s policies, middle-income Americans have been buried.”

The campaigns sent advocates to Denver to tell journalists who they thought won the debate. Political insiders call it a "spin" of the national discussion and voters perceptions. Poorly moderated and often wonkish, the debate frequently got swamped in the kind of detail that few could follow and with charges and counter-charges that few could immediately verify.

Romney pledged not to reduce taxes for wealthy Americans, and said Obama had misrepresented Mr Romney's tax plans on the campaign trail. Five weeks before Election Day, early voting is under way in scattered states and beginning in more every day. Both camps rushed to defend the respective performances. Romney, his wife Ann and their family lingered on the stage afterwards, waving to the crowd and savouring the moment.

The Obamas, who are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary, on the other hand made a quick exit. Critics say that could leave beneficiaries vulnerable in coming years to rising out-of-pocket healthcare costs, including private insurance premiums, and endanger traditional Medicare by leaving it with the sickest people.

It's the 50 million viewers watching on TV and on the internet who will decide if this first debate, or the other presidential and vice presidential debate will sway their votes. The cost of hosting the event is expected to total more than $1.6million to host the event, but because of the thousands of visitors that come with the debate, school administrators feel they can expect $20-30million in profits.