NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -- A week ago, Mitt Romney was considered all but a shoo-in to win the South Carolina Republican presidential primary. Coming off of perceived victories in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, he was strongly favored in the polls -- one of which showed him leading his competitors handily, by more than 20 points.
Today, as Palmetto state voters head to the polls, only four men remain in the race for the Republican presidential nomination -- and Newt Gingrich appears to be the at the head of the pack.
After an epic flameout in the Iowa caucuses, many thought Gingrich was all but done for in the presidential race. But the former House speaker has been steadily gaining ground on the campaign trail in South Carolina, in part due to strong, confident performances in back-to-back debates.
Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, acknowledged Friday that the race had tightened considerably. He said he's optimistic, but was not predicting victory.
Romney's fortunes have taken a sharp turn over the past week. He initially headed into South Carolina with a win in Iowa and New Hampshire under his belt, listening to political pundits talk about how he might wrap up the nomination in South Carolina.
Then the Iowa GOP announced that Rick Santorum, and not Romney, had actually won the Iowa caucuses -- party officials declared Santorum the winner late Friday night after giving a qualified announcement earlier in the week. Rick Perry also dropped out on Thursday, endorsing Gingrich.
And while Gingrich has deflected questions about scandalous claims made by his second wife, Romney has struggled to explain why he won't release his tax returns in the near future.
If Gingrich wins South Carolina, that means a different candidate will have won each of the first three primary contests -- making it hard for any of them to claim frontrunner status.
Both Romney and Gingrich are expected to attend the same late-morning campaign event on Saturday, though the campaigns did not plan it that way.
Meanwhile, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul appear to be fighting for third place in the state.
Santorum, on Fox News, disputed Gingrich's description of himself as a "Reagan conservative."
He criticized Gingrich for his past support of an individual mandate -- the requirement to buy health insurance that is at the heart of the federal health care overhaul -- and of the financial industry bailout.
Santorum argued that neither Romney nor Gingrich is what the GOP needs in a nominee.
"Mitt Romney is a moderate, someone who is timid in his tax plan, timid in his approach to cleaning up Washington and reducing the budget deficit," he said. "And Newt Gingrich is, you know, unpredictable."
Today, as Palmetto state voters head to the polls, only four men remain in the race for the Republican presidential nomination -- and Newt Gingrich appears to be the at the head of the pack.
After an epic flameout in the Iowa caucuses, many thought Gingrich was all but done for in the presidential race. But the former House speaker has been steadily gaining ground on the campaign trail in South Carolina, in part due to strong, confident performances in back-to-back debates.
Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, acknowledged Friday that the race had tightened considerably. He said he's optimistic, but was not predicting victory.
Romney's fortunes have taken a sharp turn over the past week. He initially headed into South Carolina with a win in Iowa and New Hampshire under his belt, listening to political pundits talk about how he might wrap up the nomination in South Carolina.
Then the Iowa GOP announced that Rick Santorum, and not Romney, had actually won the Iowa caucuses -- party officials declared Santorum the winner late Friday night after giving a qualified announcement earlier in the week. Rick Perry also dropped out on Thursday, endorsing Gingrich.
And while Gingrich has deflected questions about scandalous claims made by his second wife, Romney has struggled to explain why he won't release his tax returns in the near future.
If Gingrich wins South Carolina, that means a different candidate will have won each of the first three primary contests -- making it hard for any of them to claim frontrunner status.
Both Romney and Gingrich are expected to attend the same late-morning campaign event on Saturday, though the campaigns did not plan it that way.
Meanwhile, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul appear to be fighting for third place in the state.
Santorum, on Fox News, disputed Gingrich's description of himself as a "Reagan conservative."
He criticized Gingrich for his past support of an individual mandate -- the requirement to buy health insurance that is at the heart of the federal health care overhaul -- and of the financial industry bailout.
Santorum argued that neither Romney nor Gingrich is what the GOP needs in a nominee.
"Mitt Romney is a moderate, someone who is timid in his tax plan, timid in his approach to cleaning up Washington and reducing the budget deficit," he said. "And Newt Gingrich is, you know, unpredictable."
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