Free Republic

ATLANTA — As the GOP races settles into South Carolina, Mitt Romney isn’t enjoying the double-digit lead he held in New Hampshire, according to a survey conducted Wednesday night. The former Massachusetts governor’s lead is so small in the Palmetto State that he’s essentially tied with Newt Gingrich, according to a poll for the Augusta Chronicle and Savannah Morning News conducted by InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Research. Romney’s 23 percent and Gingrich’s 21 fall within the 3.6 percent margin of error. Rick Santorum, who came in second in the Iowa caucus is in third pace in South Carolina with 14 percent, while...

At least it was cordial. But the 150 or so "movement conservatives" gathered at Paul Pressler's this weekend (1/13-14) were a fractured lot. Maybe 10% were for Perry. Almost all of them were against Romney. Well, sort of. Caveat below. There was an official Romney guy there who explained that "You'll either work with us now or work with us later, but you'll all have to get on Mitt's train, because we have the money and the organization, so there's no stopping us." This did not go over well. It just made everyone more determined than ever to do whatever...

In her book Slander, conservative commentator and pundit Ann Coulter called Newt Gingrich one of the most consequential politicians in the last century. Why would she make such a claim? What did he do that had such consequence? In 1993, the Republican Party was the minority party. It had been in the minority since 1955. Even President Reagan had to deal with a Democrat Congress in the 80s and was limited in his ability to change Washington as a result. Newt Gingrich had seen this up close and personal. He had tried to help Reagan with the Conservative Opportunity Society....

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum touted an 11th-hour endorsement from conservative Christian leaders on Sunday ahead of South Carolina's crucial nominating contest but it appeared to have little influence on churchgoers. With South Carolina's January 21 primary approaching, time is running short for Santorum and other Republican candidates who hope to slow front-runner Mitt Romney's march to the Republican presidential nomination..... ....."I make decisions for myself and I don't listen to what a bunch of leaders say to do," said Victoria Jaworowski, who was attending the Cathedral of Praise mega-church in North Charleston. The Christian leaders meeting in Texas only...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich was greeted with a standing ovation when he was announced at a barbecue. Too bad the former House speaker wasn't around to see it. He was inexplicably missing, and his absence forced the event's moderator to ask awkwardly, "Can we check and see where the speaker is?"It was just one in a string of clumsy, head-scratching events staged by the Gingrich campaign since the Republican primary moved to South Carolina, a state that the candidate says he must win if he wants a shot at the nomination.The chain of slip-ups raises...

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. –Republican presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry should drop out of the race before South Carolina’s Saturday primary, prominent conservative author Eric Metaxas said at a Sunday prayer breakfast. Mr. Metaxas said he was optimistic some of the candidates competing for the state’s conservative voters would take themselves out of contention to allow South Carolinians to coalesce around an alternative to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. “It’s more likely that some of these wonderful men that are running will hear God’s voice and get out of the race before Saturday for the good of this country,”...

Following his recent wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, it isn't a stretch to say that Mitt Romney is being widely hailed as the presumptive Republican nominee for the presidency. While almost every GOP presidential candidate has experienced at least a temporary surge in the polls, Romney, who has been endorsed by high-profile members of the Republican establishment, has bounced back every time, putting down firestorms by Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry and Herman Cain. As the primary race shifts to South Carolina, Romney continues to lead the pack. Although both Rick Santorum and Rep. Ron Paul experienced significant surges following...

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Saturday that Republicans will err if they don’t scrutinize Mitt Romney’s role in a private equity firm called Bain Capital. Gingrich, the former House speaker, said President Barack Obama will hammer away at Bain if Romney is the nominee this fall. “I don’t see how you can expect us to have a presidential campaign in which an entire sector is avoided,” Gingrich said on a Fox News program that included five of the six Republican candidates. Each fielded South Carolina voters’ questions for almost 20 minutes. Many Republican and conservative leaders have...

Michele Bachmann wants a radio ad that she thinks implies her endorsement of Newt Gingrich pulled off the air in South Carolina. A lawyer for the Minnesota congresswoman sent a letter to radio stations Friday night saying that a spot being aired by the pro-Gingrich super PAC “Winning our Future” uses a clip from an introduction Bachmann delivered when Gingrich fundraised for her during a previous congressional campaign. Bachmann has not endorsed anyone, and she’s done nothing to indicate that she intends to weigh in anytime soon.

Hey, Good Morning, My Friends. If you haven't seen this video, a Q & A of Newt, (followed by Santorum) at a S.C. High School, then pour yourself another cup of coffee...grab the nearest and dearest person or animal next to you to sit close, and watch this: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/303686-1 We should post this again and again until the message resonates. Newt speaks for around 33 minutes. In that time, not one vocalized pause when he's answering the question. No prepared text. NO TELEPROMPTOR. AS it's been so many many times for those of us here, HIs message is clear, focused...

Speaking at the Greenville/Spartanburg GOP Bronze Elephant Dinner in Duncan, South Carolina on Friday night, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, in response to a question about what the American dream is about, had the most exceptional moment of the 2012 cycle. As he is emerging as the chief anti-Mitt Romney challenger in South Carolina (Gingrich is a strong second, according to numerous South Carolina polls released this week), Gingrich described the America many feel will be just a memory if President Barack Obama wins another term and articulated why the preservation of that America should never be taken for granted...

<p>CHARLESTON, S.C. -- In an event aimed at swaying undecided South Carolina voters, five Republican presidential hopefuls showed up in Charleston to make the case for why they should be the next GOP nominee.</p> <p>The forum, hosted by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Fox News, barred the candidates from attacking or even mentioning each other.</p>

(Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has opened a wide lead over his rivals in the South Carolina primary election race, trouncing Newt Gingrich and gaining momentum in his march toward the party's nomination, a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, could all but quash his rivals' presidential aspirations with a victory in South Carolina on January 21 after winning the first state-by-state nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. Voters in South Carolina - who have favored Republicans in nine of the last 10 presidential elections - appear to have shrugged off attacks on Romney by...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- With the South Carolina Republican presidential primary a week away, former Sen. Rick Santorum on Saturday received the endorsement of 150 influential Christian conservative leaders who are hoping to prevent former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney from becoming the GOP nominee. The group, suspicious that Romney's commitment to social conservative causes such as ending legalized abortion is weak, met at a ranch outside of Houston, Texas, in hopes of rallying around one candidate rather than split their votes among three - Santorum, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry. The endorsement came as the Republican...

Atlanta, GA - Several prominent Christian leaders from across the country have signed on to lead the official pastors and leaders faith coalition for Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign. The Gingrich Faith Leaders Coalition will be led by George Barna who has been hailed as "the most quoted person in the Christian Church today" having founded one of the country’s preeminent Christian polling and market research firms. Barna, who has never before endorsed a political candidate, explained in a statement that he broke his precedent in endorsing Gingrich to restore the “American vision.” “He is a man of great intellect and...

Dear fellow South Carolina evangelicals and pastors: You may find this hard to believe, but in 1947-48 I was the pastor of the Oolenoy Baptist church in Pumpkintown, S.C, thirty five miles out in the country from Greenville. It was there that I was ordained to the Gospel ministry and have been in the Lord’s work for over 64 happy years. The reason I am writing you is because as a South Carolinian, you are in a strategic position to help America at this historic time in our nation’s history. During the last three years our nation has been led...

DUNCAN, S.C. -- As soon as Newt Gingrich wrapped up his remarks on Saturday night at a forum hosted by the Republican Parties of Greenville and Spartanburg counties, it was Rick Santorum's turn to take the stage. But Gingrich ensured that the spotlight remained on him. As the former Pennsylvania senator began his remarks to hundreds of GOP activists gathered inside a high school cafeteria, Gingrich drew most of the media on hand to a nearby hallway where he held a press conference apparently timed to steal Santorum's thunder. Gingrich took a pass when asked how, over the next week,...

GREENVILLE, S.C. - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum sharpened his messages of populism and electability in South Carolina Saturday morning, saying "the grandson of a coal miner" is better equipped to relate to blue-collar voters in swing states than "a Bain executive." As Santorum's adversaries in the GOP field - particularly former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry - have attacked front-runner Mitt Romney's record at the private equity firm Bain Capital, Santorum has taken a pass, repeatedly saying he would not attack the capitalist system. Then today, the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania struck the theme...

Mitt Romney's Bain Capital record is up for debate in the Republican primary because: 1) Romney has introduced his record in the business sector as what qualifies him for president. 2) Since it's what qualifies him for president--his management style and other actions at Bain should be scrutinized. Clearly it is not anti-capitalist to address OR to question his actions. Any free enterprise business has the right to ask questions before 'hiring' someone. This election process is like America's job interview for the President of the United States. Questioning his record is 100% American, 100% capitalist and 100% free enterprise. We must ask: Did he show responsible decision-making? Were...

Developing... (Fortunately for Newt, 99 per cent of the audience will be watching Tebow vs. Brady anyway)