"South Carolina is becoming a popular destination for Republicans considering a presidential bid in 2008," the Charlotte Observer reports. "The reason? It'll be the site of the first Southern primary that year."
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and Sen. George Allen (R-VA) "have recently visited the Palmetto State. And last weekend, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) was there, escorted by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. It's too early to say whether DeMint, the state's junior senator, will endorse Brownback, who, like him, is popular with Christian conservatives. But South Carolina's other senator, Republican Lindsey Graham, is a good bet to back Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) -- just as he did in 2000."