Is Mitt Romney the inevitable GOP nominee?

South Carolina Republican pundits increasingly see Mitt Romney as the inevitable GOP presidential nominee.

They add the former Massachusetts governor also stands the best chance of winning South Carolina’s presidential primary, to be held 21 days from today on Jan. 21.

Romney is leading in Iowa, which will hold the nation’s first nominating event Tuesday, and New Hampshire, which will vote Jan. 10 and where Romney is well known as the former governor of a neighboring state.

Wins in those states could set the stage for Romney to close the deal on the GOP nomination in the Palmetto State, shortening what had been expected to be a long, expensive nominating process, some of the pundits say.

“(Romney winning) is probable in Iowa right now. He is seen as a favorite son in New Hampshire,” said Chip Felkel of Greenville, a political consultant who is not working for any of the GOP candidates. “He’s stayed at the top or near the top here in South Carolina. Unless someone can make a case -- and tar and feather him, and make him unacceptable -- while offering an acceptable alternative, I think he may have it.”

Romney’s opponents are creating a path to victory for him, said Chris Drummond, a 2008 consultant to U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who won South Carolina’s GOP primary.

“Mathematically, those to the far right (of the political spectrum) are splitting the vote,” said Drummond, a top aide to former Gov. Mark Sanford, who, like Felkel, is not working for any Republican candidate this year. “When you fracture the far right, you create an opening for Romney with the rest of the voters.”

Search for non-Romney

Many thought Texas Gov. Rick Perry would blaze onto the S.C. scene, after announcing his candidacy in Charleston in August, and take the fight to Romney, who consistently has polled in first or second place in South Carolina.

But debate stumbles prevented Perry from finding his footing, and he now is polling in single digits in South Carolina.

Still, a close look at Romney’s polling leads some to think an opening still exists for a Romney-alternative candidate. In South Carolina, that alternative could be former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has led in every S.C. poll conducted since mid-November.

When other candidates have faltered, Romney steadily polls in the mid-20s with S.C. voters -- unable to win over new supporters. (Both in South Carolina and nationally, much has been made of voters’ lack of enthusiasm for Romney.)

If a few candidates drop out of the race after the nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, their supporters could coalesce around a single non-Romney candidate.

“Romney’s support has been steady and seems solid, but it was never enough to propel him into first,” said Scott Huffmon, a Winthrop University political scientist. “The people in South Carolina who have been casting left, right and further right for a non-Romney candidate will either: 1. Coalesce around the last non-Romney candidate standing, setting up a major showdown; 2. Split support if some surprises in Iowa and New Hampshire leave multiple viable non-Romneys; or, 3. Shrug their shoulders and accept the inevitability of Romney should all of the non-Romneys have an unforeseen collapse between Iowa and South Carolina.

Romney’s 2008 flop

Romney’s Palmetto State popularity is a surprise to some.

Romney finished fourth in the state’s 2008 GOP primary, winning only 15 percent of the vote after aggressively campaigning and spending in the state for more than a year.

His 2008 campaign has its share of tangles, too. At a Greenville stop, Romney posed for a photograph with orange-clad women, who he thought were Clemson cheerleaders, only to find out they worked at a Hooters restaurant. Romney also had a heated exchange in Columbia with a reporter over whether Washington lobbyists were helping run his campaign.

Those who were close to the 2008 campaign say Romney never was able to get past the perception that he was a “Massachusetts Yankee” who flip-flopped on social issues, including a less-than-convincing conversion story on how he joined the anti-abortion movement.

Ultimately, Romney pulled his resources out of South Carolina in final days before its 2008 primary and headed for friendlier ground.

The new Romney

This go-round, Romney has a new strategy for South Carolina, involving fewer visits and fewer dollars spent in the state.

Romney’s strategy’s seemed to be to downplay South Carolina’s importance by investing little in the state, saving himself the embarrassment of another poor finish. The former Massachusetts governor has visited the Palmetto State only eight times since the spring.

Despite the low-key approach, Romney has stayed near the top of S.C. polls. And, Friday, the Romney campaign signaled it was intent on winning the state, retaining S.C. consultants Warren Tompkins and Luke Byars for the final three weeks leading to the primary.

Romney also is putting together a strong roster of S.C. endorsements, even if they include strange bedfellows.

For example, Gov. Nikki Haley and state Treasurer Curtis Loftis both have endorsed Romney as the pro-business candidate with the best shot of beating President Obama.

“You can vote for the guy or girl you like the best, but if they don’t stand a chance of beating Obama, it’s no good,” Loftis said. “To come in second place in the (general) election is to come in last place.”