Free Republic

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has a slim lead on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the latest Winthrop Poll of South Carolina voters. The poll, taken last week, shows Perry with 29.8 percent support from Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, to Romney's 26.6 percent. No other candidate is in the double digits.

Raleigh, N.C. – If there was any question that Rick Perry is the new Republican presidential frontrunner before now, PPP’s latest poll of South Carolina confirms it. A week ago, PPP showed Perry jumping to a narrow lead in first-caucus Iowa. Now, he has a double-digit lead in what will likely be the third-voting state. Perry tops with 36% to Mitt Romney’s 16%, Michele Bachmann’s 13%, Herman Cain’s 9%, Newt Gingrich’s 8%, Ron Paul’s 5%, Rick Santorum’s 4%, and Jon Huntsman’s 2%. This is a sea change from when PPP last polled the race in June, with Perry not included....

We’ve been told that former Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee, a rumored candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, is giving his former S.C. supporters the nod to seek work on other presidential campaigns. The word is that he’s told South Carolina staffers that they have his blessing for them to peddle their wares elsewhere. If this is as true as it appears, it’s the second major shakeup. Monday, Miss. Gov. Haley Barbour surprised everyone but himself when he announced that he would not seek the GOP nod.

South Carolina Mulls 2012: Romney? Palin? Huck? By: BYRON YORK Chief Political Correspondent February 19, 2010 South Carolina is a lovely place, and its attractions bring thousands of tourists each year, but lately it's been getting a special class of visitor. Rick Santorum, the former Republican senator who harbors presidential ambitions, has been here in recent weeks. So has Sen. John Thune, the South Dakota Republican, whose name is sometimes whispered by the Great Mentioner. Mike Huckabee, former GOP presidential candidate and current talk show host, will be here soon. And so will Haley Barbour, the Mississippi governor who many...

Will Ron Paul give it another go in 2012? The Texas congressman and hero of limited government advocates will visit the key early primary state of South Carolina on Nov. 9 to deliver a speech "on the future of individual liberty and the importance of the U.S. Constitution" at the University of South Carolina, student groups said Tuesday. The announcement comes a week after Paul scheduled a visit to Iowa on Nov. 13 to speak to students at Iowa State University.