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THE only Mormon in the 2008 presidential race, Mitt Romney, is coming under attack for his religious beliefs as the battle for the Republican nomination becomes increasingly acrimonious.

Telephone calls to voters accusing the former governor of Massachusetts of subscribing to outlandish beliefs and “flip-flop-ping” on big issues have been made under the guise of polling in Iowa and New Hampshire, crucial early voting states that Romney must win.

These “push-polling” calls drew attention to Romney’s deferment of military service during the Vietnam war while serving as a missionary for the Mormons in France and pointed out that none of his five sons had enlisted in the military.

Callers also claimed the Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints did not consecrate blacks as bishops until the 1970s and believes the Book of Mormon supersedes the Bible. Romney called the attacks “unAmerican”.

Robert Redford, the film star, joined in the Mormon-bashing this month, claiming that church followers were “very adept at not being fazed and speaking fluently and gracefully” because they “learn how to deflect blows and stay on message” when they go on missions “when they are 19 or 20”.

He added: “So when you see Mitt Romney, he’s already been practising how to deflect blows and stay on message. But it’s plastic.”

The race is growing dirtier as the fight for the nomination intensifies between Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, and Romney.

Hugh Hewitt, an influential social conservative talk-show host and author of the pro-Romney book, A Mormon in the White House?, believes the campaign has become a “two-man race”, in which “only Romney has the cash and the organisation to go one-to-one with Rudy”.

Giuliani has maintained a substantial double-digit lead in the national opinion polls against the “pack of three” – Romney, Fred Thompson and John McCain – who are jostling for second place.

But McCain lacks money and Thompson seems short of energy, leaving Romney with the best chance of becoming the stop-Giuliani candidate for those who find the former New York mayor’s views on abortion, gays and guns too liberal for their tastes.

Paul Weyrich, a co-founder of the Moral Majority and a prominent Christian leader who is backing Romney, said: “I feel the race will come down to Rudy Giuliani versus Mitt Romney and that Romney is best equipped to stop Giuliani.”

Speculation was intensifying this weekend about who was behind the push-polling calls. The calls praised McCain’s Vietnam record while knocking Romney’s. But McCain was the first candidate to condemn them. “It is disgraceful, it is outrageous and it is a violation, we believe, of New Hampshire law,” he said. The New Hampshire attorney-general is investigating the affair.

A spokeswoman for Giuliani, Katie Levinson, said his campaign did “not support or engage in these types of tactics”.

Hewitt believes that, “if the campaign that used appeals to religious bigotry is identified, it will be over for that candidate”.

The polling was carried out by Western Wats, which is based in Utah, the centre of the Mormon faith. It has declined to discuss its clients.

A spokesman for Romney was forced to deny “insinuation” that “we would support phone calls attacking our own campaign” to engender sympathy after members of the company were revealed to be Romney donors.

Romney’s camp has been debating whether to sharpen its attacks on Giuliani, with some advisers cautioning that it could result in a “murder-suicide”, destroying both candidates. But the tone between the rivals has hardened, with voting in Iowa only six weeks away.

Giuliani insiders claim Romney has changed his mind about so many issues, including abortion and immigration, that he has a problem with leadership and lacks “authenticity”.

Giuliani is relying on a strategy that could see him lose several early votes before triumphing in more powerful states such as Florida, New York and California.

However, he risks losing vital momentum to Romney, who is counting on strong showings in Iowa, New Hampshire and other early voting states, to “slingshot” him to victory.

Romney’s game-plan has been complicated by growing support in Iowa for the underdog Mike Huckabee, a former Baptist preacher and ex-governor of Arkansas.

The amiable Huckabee is nearly 10 points behind but Romney predicted that “it’s going to get very narrow”.

Weyrich believes Christian conservatives should resist the temptation to back Huckabee. “If they get behind his band-wagon, it will lead to a dead end. He does not have the resources or the people to make victory happen.”

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