GOP presidential race under way in S.C.

The 2012 presidential race is under way in South Carolina.

Former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich visits Columbia and Charleston today for a pair of fundraisers - his second visit to the state since the spring.

Other potential Republican presidential contenders have also made S.C. visits recently including Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Alaska governor and 2008 vice president pick Sarah Palin, former Massachusetts governor and 2008 presidential contender Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum.

South Carolina represents some of the most fertile GOP ground in the nation because of its Republican-leaning voters and its early presidential primary, critical to selecting the Republican candidate who will take on Democratic President Obama in 2012.

"Every potential Republican presidential candidate knows the importance of South Carolina," said Larry Sabato, University of Virginia political scientist. "It's one of the earliest states to vote. And, for Republicans, South Carolina is the gateway to the South. The South has to remain solid for a Republican candidate to have a chance of winning the White House. Expect to see all of [the Republican presidential hopefuls] appear in South Carolina."

A May poll conducted by Public Policy Polling of likely S.C. voters showed Gingrich as the early presidential favorite, garnering 25 percent of the vote, followed closely by Romney and Palin. Former Arkansas governor and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee held 19 percent while U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, also a 2008 presidential contender, came in last with 7 percent.

Huckabee has also stopped in South Carolina this year, stumping for Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer in his gubernatorial bid days before the June primary. Short stops have also been made in 2010 by U.S. Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a longshot presidential hopeful.

Joel Sawyer, executive director of the S.C. GOP, said the state's national influence is expanding as it morphs into a political bellwether for a new, conservative movement.

"The country is moving to the right," Sawyer said. "There's an ideological rebellion on what people see going on in Washington. So many of the people who have been leading that charge are from South Carolina - Jim DeMint, Joe Wilson. And Nikki Haley is now getting attention for those same ideas."

Republican gubernatorial nominee Haley, who has been endorsed by Palin and Romney, is likely to benefit handsomely from the visits.

"They want to be on her good side. She's gotten so much national publicity. They want to be seen with her, to be associated with her," said Dave Woodard, a Clemson political scientist who predicts most, if not all, of the visiting contenders will donate money to Haley's campaign. Romney gave Haley's campaign $21,000 for her runoff last month.

But don't expect to see similar visits from prominent Democrats, stumping for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Vincent Sheheen. In a conservative state like South Carolina where Democrats are a minority and much of the electorate is peeved over Democratic-led federal spending, such visits are unlikely to aid Sheheen's campaign.

"It's such a conservative state. I just can't think of any national Democrat whose visit could help Sheheen," said Woodward, one of Sheheen's undergraduate professors during his time at Clemson. "There may be somebody, a Democratic governor in the Southeast who may come down and talk about how they've worked with a Republican legislature and gotten X, Y and Z accomplished. If his campaign could find someone like that, that would be good."