On Primary Eve, Rivals Try to Put Romney on Defensive.

BEDFORD, N.H. -- Mitt Romney fought to keep an upper hand in the Republican presidential race on Monday as his rivals sought to slow his march to the nomination and raise doubts about his electability by branding him as a job-killing corporate villain. As New Hampshire voters prepared to cast ballots Tuesday in the nation's first primary, Mr. Romney found himself on the unfamiliar terrain of defending his business pedigree against fellow Republicans as his challengers tried to tap into a populist sentiment. He played into the criticism with a handful of missteps, with rivals jumping on him for having suggested that he, too, has feared getting ''a pink slip.'' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]