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South Carolina primary: Voting under way in tight race South Carolina primary: Voting under way in tight race
(40 minutes later)
Voting has begun in the US state of South Carolina as Republican candidates continue their battle for presidential nomination. Voters have endured heavy rain in the US state of South Carolina as Republican candidates battle for the presidential nomination.
Opinion polls suggest a tight race between frontrunner Mitt Romney and former house speaker Newt Gingrich.Opinion polls suggest a tight race between frontrunner Mitt Romney and former house speaker Newt Gingrich.
Saturday's election is a crucial test for the four remaining contenders.Saturday's election is a crucial test for the four remaining contenders.
The stakes are particularly high in South Carolina as the winner there has gone on to win the nomination in every election since 1980.The stakes are particularly high in South Carolina as the winner there has gone on to win the nomination in every election since 1980.
Polls opened across the state at 07:00 (12:00 GMT). BBC North America editor Mark Mardell, in South Carolina, says that while this is historical fact, it is in no way an iron law.
The other two candidates left in the race are former Senator Rick Santorum and Congressman Ron Paul. Conservatives opposed to a Mitt Romney candidacy see the primary as their best chance of puncturing the sense of inevitability surrounding Mr Romney's bid, though should Mr Gingrich win, the contest would be far from over, our correspondent says.
Mr Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, has long been seen as the favourite for the nomination, but has failed to excite large numbers of Republican voters.
By mid-afternoon, with tornado watches in force in some parts of the state, the Republican Party was bracing for a political storm in South Carolina.
Periods of torrential rain throughout the day may have had an effect on turnout, but voting seemed to be brisk enough, a reflection perhaps of the intense heat generated over the past week.
Local Republican officials can't quite bring themselves to say it openly, but they're clearly expecting Newt Gingrich to win here, throwing a giant, grey-haired spanner in the smooth workings of Mitt Romney's campaign machine.
Even if Mr Gingrich comes second here, the race is destined to go on to Florida and beyond, ending the prevailing narrative to date: that Mitt Romney's glide-path towards the nomination is assured.
An expected "three in a row" phenomenon has fizzled into one each for Rick Santorum (Iowa) and Mitt Romney (New Hampshire) and a possible win here for Newt Gingrich. That alone changes the entire dynamic of the contest.
But Mr Romney still has the more formidable campaign machine and probably has the wherewithal to sustain a protracted battle. Mr Gingrich's operation is rather more ramshackle. He'll need more money and a sharper campaign in order to compete over the long haul.
"We Pick Presidents", says the booklet handed out to journalists by South Carolina's Republican Party, which relishes its record of having backed every GOP winner since 1980. In 2012 too? Maybe. Maybe not.
Mr Gingrich has captured the headlines and risen in the polls in recent days, batting off a potentially damaging interview from an ex-wife, in which she said he had wanted an "open marriage".
The other two major candidates left in the race are former Senator Rick Santorum and Congressman Ron Paul.
Mr Santorum is competing with Mr Gingrich for the conservative vote, while Mr Paul's libertarian message has won him a passionate support, especially among young voters.
'Near showdown''Near showdown'
Poor weather is dampening hopes for a high turnout in the Republican primary in South Carolina. Party officials are hoping 450,000 voters turn out for the primary, which is open to all including independents and registered Democrats. But grey skies turned to heavy rain mid-morning just as the crowds were starting to build. The candidates made a last-ditch effort to win votes across the state on polling day, stopping to visit a host of polling stations before returning to their bases to watch the results come in.
Voters at the Amick's Ferry polling place in Chapin, South Carolina, said they were motivated by what they saw as the need to get the US "back on track" after three years of Barack Obama's presidency.
Susan Mallini said Republicans would unite behind their eventual nominee, despite a rancorous campaign so far. "We are unsure which of the Republican candidates would be the best," she said.
But most would back any of them against Mr Obama, adding: "This is a critical election for the country."
Mr Gingrich has seen his support rise in the days before the primary, despite being hit by allegations by his former wife Marianne that he had wanted an open marriage.
His recent success is considered a real challenge to Mr Romney, who has remained high in opinion polls and won the last primary in New Hampshire.
It was initially declared that he had won polls in Iowa but the result was overturned, after it emerged there had been a mix-up on the vote count.
At one point on Saturday, Mr Romney and Mr Gingrich were set to cross paths in Greenville, but Mr Romney appeared at Tommy's Ham House earlier than planned.At one point on Saturday, Mr Romney and Mr Gingrich were set to cross paths in Greenville, but Mr Romney appeared at Tommy's Ham House earlier than planned.
"I'm the only guy's who's spent his life in the real world," Mr Romney, standing on a chair in the crowded restaurant, declared."I'm the only guy's who's spent his life in the real world," Mr Romney, standing on a chair in the crowded restaurant, declared.
He added: "We've got a long way to go. So come join us in Florida, in Nevada, Michigan, Colorado. We've got a long way to go."He added: "We've got a long way to go. So come join us in Florida, in Nevada, Michigan, Colorado. We've got a long way to go."
When Mr Gingrich walked in - just minutes after Mr Romney left - he said, "where's Mitt?" When Mr Gingrich walked in - just minutes after Mr Romney left - he said: "Where's Mitt?"
"I need your help," Mr Gingrich said. "This is a very, very important day. We have an opportunity to nominate the genuine conservative who can debate, and who can take it to Barack Obama.""I need your help," Mr Gingrich said. "This is a very, very important day. We have an opportunity to nominate the genuine conservative who can debate, and who can take it to Barack Obama."
At the polls, voters seemed prepared to overlook Mr Gingrich's personal life.
"I remember what he did when he was speaker and in a group where there's not a lot to choose from that counts," said Frankie Jackson, voting with his 18-year-old daughter in Lexington County.
Others backed Mr Romney. "For me the main issue is the economy," voter Jim Pagett said in the state capital, Columbia.
"I feel there is no other candidate in the Republican field who has the business experience he has," he said, adding that he was had concerns Mr Gingrich did not have the temperament to be president.
Primaries and caucuses will be held in every US state over the next few months to pick a Republican nominee before the eventual winner is anointed at the party convention in August to take on Mr Obama in November.Primaries and caucuses will be held in every US state over the next few months to pick a Republican nominee before the eventual winner is anointed at the party convention in August to take on Mr Obama in November.
Results are due to start coming in from about 7:30pm (00:30 GMT Sunday).Results are due to start coming in from about 7:30pm (00:30 GMT Sunday).