Romney closing in on Republican nod

Mitt Romney began a 10-day quest for victory in the South Carolina Republican presidential contest, where a win could all but ensure that he will be his party’s choice to run against President Barack Obama.

Mr Romney has huge advantages coming into South Carolina.

He won the first two nominating contests, has plenty of money to spend and has the backing of much of the party’s establishment, including the state’s governor.

They see Mr Romney as the candidate most likely to defeat Mr Obama and want to avoid a long, potentially damaging nomination fight.

Mr Romney’s opponents have been unable to coalesce behind a single rival in the six-man race.

The candidates with presumably the best prospects in the conservative southern state – Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry – all fared poorly in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary.

“I don’t want to be overconfident,” Mr Romney said. But increasingly, he was talking about his plans for challenging Mr Obama in November, not his primary foes of the moment.

Meanwhile, Mr Obama made a quick visit to his Chicago headquarters to chart his re-election campaign, preparing for his Republican opponent and stocking up on campaign cash as he thanked hometown staffers.

The White House kept the moment private and reporters travelling with the president were not allowed to witness the headquarters visit.

A Romney victory on January 21 is not a sure thing.

Republicans are uncertain about whether Mr Romney, former governor of the northern, liberal state of Massachusetts, is sufficiently conservative. It is not clear if the state’s core evangelicals will rally behind a Mormon like Mr Romney.

South Carolina is also known for tough political fights and this year is not likely to be an exception.

The events marked the unofficial start of a campaign that includes a pair of televised debates, millions of dollars in television ads and the first competition of the year in a state with high unemployment, a major military presence and a large population of evangelicals.

Mr Gingrich, former speaker of the House of Representatives, has led the charge against Mr Romney. He delivered a fresh attack on Mr Romney’s business career and a new television ad painting him as a flip-flopper on abortion.

Texas Representative Ron Paul, who ran second in New Hampshire, chastised Mr Gingrich and Mr Perry for criticising the front-runner’s experience as a venture capitalist whose firm acquired, slimmed down and then spun off existing companies, often earning large profits in the process.

Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, who finished third in New Hampshire, also urged Republicans to ease the criticism over Mr Romney’s business career and focus instead on his record as governor of Massachusetts.

“He didn’t deliver any big bold economic proposals,” Mr Huntsman said. “I delivered the largest tax cut in the history of my state.”