The campaigns of Mitt Romney and John McCain are in a war of words over who is the more pure Republican.

McCain's campaign is blasting Romney's contribution to a Democratic congressional candidate 15 years ago, while Romney's campaign is criticizing words of admiration exchanged between McCain and Democratic Gov. John Lynch on Sunday.

Former U.S. Rep. Chuck Douglas of Concord, a McCain New Hampshire campaign vice chairman, said yesterday that in 1992, Romney "actively worked to defeat the Republican candidate trying to reclaim my old congressional seat." Douglas, who was elected in 1988, lost a reelection bid to Democrat Dick Swett in 1990. Two years later, Swett defeated Republican Bill Hatch of Nashua in a landslide.

Romney spokesman Kevin Madden confirmed during the weekend that Romney contributed $250 to Swett. He said Romney did so because the two were personal friends.

Madden also confirmed that Romney voted in the 1992 Democratic primary in Massachusetts, supporting fellow Bay Stater the late Paul Tsongas. Madden said he did so in an effort to counter Bill Clinton's candidacy.

Douglas stated, "As a Republican who ran against liberal Democrat Dick Swett, I can assure you that in 1992, Republicans wrote checks to defeat him; and those Republicans weren't voting for Paul Tsongas." He said he is "amazed that Romney would claim to represent the Republican wing of the Republican Party, because when Romney had a chance to contribute to a New Hampshire Republican, he chose to fund a liberal New Hampshire Democrat instead."

Romney's camp shot back, accusing McCain of "campaigning with" Lynch on Sunday in Lynch's home town of Hopkinton. Lynch attended a McCain town hall meeting in Hopkinton, which is also the hometown of former Executive Councilor Peter Spaulding, a Republican who chairs McCain's state campaign. Lynch last year had a Spaulding campaign sign on his lawn, effectively endorsing the Republican councilor who was swept out in last November's Democratic landslide. The exchange, broadcast on C-SPAN and posted on YouTube, shows McCain calling Lynch a "great governor" and thanking him for, "most of all, the way that you have governed in this state in a bipartisan fashion. America needs more of what you've done here in the State of New Hampshire."

Lynch tells the audience he has "enormous respect and admiration for Senator McCain and all that he has done for all of us all over the country if not all over the world."

New Hampshire Romney campaign manager Jim Merrill said, "Only John McCain would criticize a fellow Republican one day and then campaign with a Democrat the next. New Hampshire Republicans know all too well what Governor Lynch's vision for change has meant for New Hampshire."

The Romney campaign pointed out that Lynch presided over a 17.5 percent increase in the state budget and supported -- and then signed into law -- a repeal of the state parental notification law and a bill legalizing civil unions in New Hampshire. It also noted that in the 2006 election, Lynch worked to defeat Republican candidates for state offices. Douglas countered, "What does that have to do with anything? The governor was kind enough to stop by and see him. It shows John McCain can be considered a person of great integrity by high-ranking Democrats. He can reach across the aisle and get business done." Spaulding said McCain "learned from his political hero Ronald Reagan to extend his hand in friendship to members of the other party. It is beyond the pale that Mitt Romney would attack a fellow Republican for showing common decency and respect for the sitting governor of the state in which he is campaigning."

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Editor's note: When first posted, this story incorrectly reported that Peter Spaulding had a John Lynch campaign sign on his lawn last year, rather than the reverse.