Sth Carolina: While Michigan and Nevada vote on January 15th and 19th, the next big primary after New Hampshire is South Carolina, the first southern state to vote - with Republicans on January 19th and Democrats a week later.
Since 1980, no Republican has been nominated for president without winning the state, which prides itself on being able to "correct" trends created in Iowa and New Hampshire and testing candidates in the south.
Mike Huckabee's folksy southern charm and his appeal to evangelicals have helped to give him a seven-point state lead over Mitt Romney. It is where Tennesseean Fred Thompson needs to score his first win to stay in contention.
John McCain lost here in 2000 to George Bush after a dirty tricks campaign. Rudy Giuliani is not a contender in the state.
On the Democratic side, the battle is for the support of African-Americans, about half the party electorate. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are currently tied in the polls, with John Edwards far behind.