In South Carolina, a Final Blizzard of Appeals Before the Primary
When Mitt Romney arrived in this critical primary state nine days ago credited with wins in Iowa and New Hampshire and momentum supposedly on his side, he seemed to be on a smooth path to the Republican nomination.
But with Newt Gingrich using two muscular debate performances to inject himself back into the fray, Rick Santorum claiming victory in the Iowa caucuses after a recount and voters in this conservative state apparently still in flux in the hours before the primary, Mr. Romney’s senior strategist offered a grim assessment on Friday: Mr. Romney could lose.
In what appeared to be a broad campaign effort to dampen expectations before the primary, Mr. Romney said in a short press briefing here, “I said from the very beginning that South Carolina is an uphill battle for a guy from Massachusetts.”
Suddenly, Mr. Romney is being challenged in a way he has not been previously in this race. His political operation remains the class of the field in terms of money and organization across the country, and he has a detailed plan for accumulating the delegates necessary to win the nomination.
But he is facing intensive attacks from all sides, renewed questions about whether he is conservative enough for the grass-roots of his party and the effects of his own stumbles, including his awkward answers to questions about his tax returns. At a minimum, he now faces the likelihood of a long fight for the nomination — something his advisers said they expected all along.