New Hampshire ended as most people predicted, but South Carolina is make or break for just about everyone. Here are the 10 things you need to know.
- South Carolina kingmaker bets on Romney: It’s not an endorsement, but Tuesday night Sen. Jim DeMint predicted Mitt Romney would win South Carolina. DeMint ruled out a win by Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich, who has not helped his cause by criticizing “free enterprise concepts.” The TPM Poll Average has Romney leading South Carolina with 31.1%.
- South Carolina GOP chair says state is still up for grabs: In an exclusive interview with TPM, South Carolina GOP Chair Chad Connelly said the Palmetto State will make up its own mind about the candidates. He also says Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital is fair game: “I’m not in the camp of, ‘let’s don’t bring stuff up in a primary’ because I do think it makes a candidate stronger, no matter who it is…And it also kind of vets things out so it’s out there and Obama has less chance to use it.”
- Mike Huckabee and Bob McDonnell will travel to South Carolina: This Friday, both Mike Huckabee and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell will travel to South Carolina for Rep. Tim Scott’s “First in the South” Presidential Townhall Series. In separate forums, audiences will ask questions on Huckabee and McDonnell’s “views on the Presidential field, and on how we will defeat President Obama.” Huckabee’s will also air on his Fox News show.
- South Carolina airwaves already flooded with negative ads: Negative ads are everywhere in South Carolina, and, unlike in Iowa, they aren’t all about Newt. So far, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich have ads up hitting Romney while the frontrunner has an ad up hitting President Obama.
- Democrats welcome Romney to South Carolina: As they have done in Iowa and New Hampshire, Democrats are prepared to combat Mitt Romney’s message on the ground in South Carolina. This starts Wednesday at 9:45am with Rep. Jim Clyburn and other Democratic state officers holding a press conference on Romney’s economic plan. The liberal group SC Forward Progress is planning their own welcome where a Gordon Gekko impersonator will endorse the former Mass. Gov. outside a Romney event in Columbia, SC Wednesday.
- Florida poll shows Romney beating Obama: A Quinnipiac Poll released Wednesday shows Mitt Romney winning a match-up with President Obama 46%-43% in Florida. Rick Santorum loses to Obama 45%-43%. In Florida, the fourth primary state, Obama has a negative approval rating of 42% – 54%.
- Romney super PAC spends $2.5 million in Florida: Pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future has put up $2.5 million in Florida statewide on broadcast and cable television. The ads make Romney the dominant candidate in the state at a crucial time when a large number of voters using absentee ballots will be voting.
- Rick Santorum opens five offices in South Carolina: Rick Santorum is hoping to rebound from a disappointing finish in New Hampshire. His campaign announced today it was opening 5 new offices there.
- The candidates campaign in South Carolina: All candidates are now in South Carolina to campaign across the state. Rick Santorum will appear on “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren” on FOX News at 10pm and Newt Gingrich will be on CNN with Piers Morgan at 9pm.
- After Iowa and New Hampshire, Latino vote starts to matter: The candidates will now begin to compete in states where the Latino community plays a larger role, especially in the general election. The RNC is holding a call today to discuss their outreach strategy, but so far the GOP field has failed to court this important constituency.
