Australia's Rudd kicks off re-election bid

Health care reform now at center of political campaign debate

CANBERRA - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd kicked off a campaign for an election still up to eight months away with a health debate against opponent Tony Abbott on Tuesday, with political analysts declaring Rudd the winner of the showdown.

The debate is a confidence boost to Rudd's Labor just days after the party suffered a drop of more than seven percent in state elections in South Australia and Tasmania.