Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary appeared to cement Mitt Romney’s status as the front runner to secure the Republican nomination for president, but nothing is set in stone until after the Jan. 21 South Carolina primary, said the state’s top GOP official.
“The real boost of momentum comes out of here,” said Chad Connelly, chairman of the S.C. Republican Party. S.C. has picked the GOP nominee each election since 1980.
As of Wednesday, all six candidates were still expected to take part in FOX News’ Jan. 16 GOP debate, scheduled for 9 p.m. at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. Five days later, Palmetto State residents head to the polls for the “First in the South” primary.
Connelly believes that’s when the race will start to change. If a candidate doesn’t finish in the top three, his campaign will lose a lot of steam, Connelly said.
The N.H. primary, Connelly said, was a great snapshot of Tuesday at the poll, but added that 24 hours in politics is a lifetime.
“It is wide open here,” he said.
On Tuesday, Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, became the first non-incumbent Republican candidate to win both Iowa and N.H. and met expectations in the latter race. He has been endorsed by S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley.
Ron Paul, who finished second in Tuesday’s primary, urged other candidates to drop out, recognizing that he might need some of the more conservative supporters currently backing other candidates in order to beat Romney.
“The results are in, and my campaign’s incredibly strong second-place finish in New Hampshire has the national media stunned,” Paul declared in an email to supporters late Tuesday night. “Add that to my top-tier showing in Iowa, and it’s clear I’m the one Republican candidate who can take on and defeat both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.”
So, what must he do to declare victory in South Carolina?
“Our focus for S.C. is the same as it has been everywhere else, delivering a message of constitutional principles, balanced budgets and limited government,” said Gary Howard, a spokesman for the Paul camp, via e-mail.
And what of the importance of the youth vote?
Howard said Paul’s campaign doesn’t particularly target the youth vote, but young people are drawn to the Texas congressman’s message because they appreciate his honesty.
Paul, Romney, Newt Gingrich and even Rick Santorum might have more name recognition in S.C. than the candidate who finished third in New Hampshire on Tuesday: former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.
In fact, pundits and some GOP leaders declared Huntsman’s chance of winning the nomination nil on Wednesday.
But his camp said that doesn’t deter him from coming head-on into S.C.
“Gov. Huntsman has more momentum than anyone in the race,” said spokesman Tim Miller in an email. “Just three days ago he was declared dead, and he surged to a strong finish in New Hampshire. We will carry that momentum into S.C.”
Messages left with the other candidates’ spokespeople weren’t returned Wednesday.
Huntsman won’t jump into the fray that’s been predicted for S.C. -- Gingrich and his super PAC, and Paul, going hard on Romney with Gingrich supporters promising $3.4 million in TV ads. Romney’s supporters have pledged a $2.3 million response.
The debate is likely to offer quite a few metaphorical punches being thrown.
“The comments are that S.C. carries Bibles by day and knives by night -- I hate that it has gotten so negative,” said Horry County Republican Party Chairwoman Johnnie Bellamy. “I wish they would accentuate the positive. This is an ideological battle between collectivists and individualists, and it’s a very important election for us.”
Huntsman will likely take a few swipes at Romney, but Miller said the governor will focus more on his message: “getting rid of the economic deficit that President Obama has mismanaged, and restoring trust in Washington.”
Each candidate has his challenges, Bellamy said, acknowledging Huntsman’s low name recognition.
She said each of them is going to have to canvass S.C. in the days leading up to the primary. Gingrich has made
Huntsman will gain recognition from the Myrtle Beach debate, Miller said, and has a message that will resonate with S.C. voters:
“South Carolina voters are sick of the Washington status quo. Jon Huntsman isn’t teed up by the same old, big spending, corrupt establishment figures. He’s going to restore trust in Washington, reform it, and balance the budget,” Miller said.
While the candidates will step up their S.C. presence over the next few days, Bellamy said her group is out pounding the pavement to help them, assisting with signs and any other campaign related duties they need.
Mostly, she said, the group has been working to build precincts and get out the vote.
“We want a strong conservative to take on the Democratic Party in November and flip the White House,” she said.
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