Manning did not return repeated telephone calls last night.

Despite Romney's charges, Joseph Hakim, president of Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, Mart's parent company, said all employees--full-time and part-time--at the Merchandise Mart have health insurance.

"The approximately 400 full-time employees receive health insurance through the Merchandise Mart," Hakim said in a statement released after the debate. "The seven part-time employees who work at the Merchandise Mart as a second job are covered by their full-time employers, though their family, or through Medicare."

In an interview last night, Hakim said Romney's charges are only speculative because his company hires very few part-time workers.

"It's not a goal of the company to hire part-time employees," he said. "We've been careful to hire part-time employees who have [insurance]."

But Escamilla said this sentiment was not conveyed in her conversation with Muriel Foster, a personnel officer at Mart Properties. "She said most of the employees were full time, but we do have part time jobs," Escamilla said. "She told me I could send my resume."

And Hakim said Sen. Kennedy has no direct involvement in his company. "The Kennedy family doesn't have a say," he said. "They are not at all involved in daily operations."

After the debate, Kennedy campaign spokesperson Rick Gureghian called Romney's accusations "the cheap talking Romney is known for."

"All he can do is get up there and get angry," Gureghian said.