While Granite staters head to the polls with the nation watching, Texas Gov. Rick Perry will be looking for votes amid barbecue in South Carolina.
His campaign will be making three stops in the state on Tuesday, including an afternoon "Meet and Greet" at Shealy's Bar-B-Que in Leesville. Perry has a total of 10 campaign events in South Carolina on Wednesday and Thursday. The struggling campaign has 11 days to try to chip into Romney's surprisingly strong support in South Carolina, before the January 21 primary there. The most recent Palmetto state poll, from Public Policy Polling, found Perry's support stuck at 5 percent, behind most of the other major candidates except for former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.
Aside from the televised debates, Perry hasn't been to New Hampshire since November 30. His campaign focused on Iowa for most of December, and after a disappointing fifth-place finish there he's spent almost all of his time in South Carolina. Ignoring New Hampshire voters has taken a toll on his support there. In a Suffolk University poll released on Tuesday, Perry has support from only 1 percent of likely voters. That puts Perry tied with former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer—who hasn't participated in any of the televised debates—and trailing the percentage of voters who are undecided.
While most political observers don't give him much of a chance following a disappointing showing in Iowa, the campaign has kept moving. Aside from South Carolina, it has also filed the paperwork to be on the ballot in Arizona, Illinois, Ohio, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.
- See photos of the GOP candidates on the campaign trail.
- Opinion: The lessons from Iowa.
- Vote Now: Who Is Your Pick for the Republican Nomination?
aparker@usnews.com
Twitter: @AlexParkerDC
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