JIM DAVENPORT

Associated Press
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Automated calls flood SC ahead of GOP primary

First, the TV ads. Then, the mailers. And now, in the final days before South Carolina's primary, the pitches are coming ever more frequently by phone: Vote for me over the other guys — and here's why.

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Paul says his campaign's momentum will continue

Brushing off his poor last place finish in the South Carolina primary Saturday, Republican Ron Paul promised supporters the momentum around his libertarian-leaning campaign would continue.

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AP sources: Perry abandoning bid, backing Gingrich

Texas Gov. Rick Perry will abandon his presidential bid and endorse Newt Gingrich, two Republican officials said Thursday, a move coming just two days before the pivotal South Carolina primary as Republican front-runner Mitt Romney struggles to fend off a challenge from the former House speaker.

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Candidates woo DeMint as he stays on sidelines

In the 2012 Republican nominating contest, Sen. Jim DeMint is like the pretty girl all the boys want to take to the prom. Nearly every GOP presidential candidate has come a-courting the South Carolina Republican ahead of his state's Jan. 21 primary.

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Romney airing new campaign ad in SC

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is bashing the National Labor Relations Board in a new ad airing in South Carolina the day after the Obama administration circumvented Congress and put three new people on the labor panel.

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SC gov had her chef make birthday cakes for staff

South Carolina's top Democrat says Republican Gov. Nikki Haley is letting her staff eat cake in lean times — on the taxpayer's dime.

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Side business puts SC governor's chef in hot water

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's chef has been barred from catering private events at the Governor's Mansion complex and told to reimburse the state after an Associated Press investigation questioned whether he was using his high-profile position for financial gain.

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SC Supreme Court upholds presidential primary date

The South Carolina Supreme Court by a 3-2 vote refused to block the first-in-the-South presidential primary, turning back challenges by counties that the state lacked the authority to hold it.

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Romney criticizes Obama's 'lazy' comment to CEOs

White House hopeful Mitt Romney on Tuesday criticized President Barack Obama for saying the U.S. had grown "a little bit lazy" in trying to attract business investment.

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Paul says he wasn't trying to embarrass Perry

Ron Paul said he didn't mean to embarrass fellow Texan Rick Perry when Perry forgot, during a debate, one of the three federal agencies he wants to abolish.

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Economy trumps social issues in conservative SC

South Carolina's Christian conservatives, personified by Bob Jones University presidents and alums, have both made and broken presidential campaigns.

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16 nations want to challenge SC immigration law

Sixteen Latin American and Caribbean nations have asked to join in the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit against South Carolina's new illegal immigration law, citing concerns for their citizens.

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Bachmann calls on Obama to apologize to Israel

Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann called on President Barack Obama Tuesday to apologize to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for an unflattering exchange caught on an open microphone at a summit in France last week.

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SC's new voter ID law could hit GOP seniors

South Carolina's new voter ID law could affect an unlikely group: older white voters who have higher incomes, are reliably Republican and live in retirement homes and gated golf communities along the state's southern coast, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

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Huntsman: GOP rivals don't know enough about China

Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman said Wednesday that recent comments by rivals Herman Cain and Mitt Romney raise concerns about taking the nation's security and economic policies toward China in the wrong direction.

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SC voter ID law hits some black precincts harder

South Carolina's new voter photo identification law appears to be disproportionately affecting minority voters in one of the state's largest counties and black precincts elsewhere, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

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APNewsBreak: Suit may stop SC presidential primary

South Carolina lacks the authority to conduct a 2012 presidential primary, according to a lawsuit filed by four counties at the state Supreme Court.

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APNewsBreak: SC Supreme Court to hear primary case

The South Carolina Supreme Court says it will decide a challenge brought by four counties that say the first-in-the-South presidential primary is private and the taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for it.

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Tuning in, turning out: tea party finds its music

The tea party activists that packed the room picked up the refrain of a song as they waited for Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann to arrive.

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SC GOP sets presidential primary date, trumps Fla.

South Carolina Republicans will hold their first-in-the-South presidential primary on Jan. 21 to trump Florida's rule-breaking jump ahead in the party's calendar.

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VA to cover extra costs amid home loan confusion

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will cover extra costs for veterans who struck deals on home loans and faced the possibility of higher fees amid confusion over a federal law change, the agency said Saturday.

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Happy talk: SC Gov orders 'great day' phone answer

South Carolina's governor is ordering state workers to cheerfully answer phones with the phrase "It's a great day in South Carolina." Never mind the state's 11.1 percent jobless rate and the fact that one in five residents are on Medicaid.

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SC gov. calls reporter 'little girl' over story

South Carolina's first woman governor called a female reporter a "little girl" over an article detailing at least $127,000 in taxpayer dollars the governor and other state officials spent on a European economic development trip.

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Perry: Troop withdrawals need careful discussion

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Saturday that thoughtful discussion is needed to bring U.S. troops home from Afghanistan and Iraq as he wrapped up his first week of campaigning for the GOP's presidential nomination.

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Perry brings job message to high-unemployment SC

Texas Gov. Rick Perry's delivered a timely jobs message to South Carolina's Republican primary voters Friday.

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