Republicans target South Carolina

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Republican Mitt Romney has followed his presidential primary win in the US state of Michigan by getting stuck into campaigning in South Carolina.

Mr Romney, who lost the first two major contests, again focused on a message of protecting local industries that have been hit by recent job losses.

Saturday's Republican primary in South Carolina is expected to be close.

The Democrat candidates do not hold a primary there until 26 January, but are focusing on Saturday's Nevada caucuses.

'Comeback'

Mr Romney's win on Tuesday revived his campaign, after defeats to Mike Huckabee in Iowa on 3 January and to John McCain in New Hampshire five days later, despite spending heavily in those states.

Candidate wins nomination by accumulating 1,191 delegatesMost are "pledged delegates", won at primaries or caucusesDelegates vote at summer convention to confirm nominee

Mr Romney's only victory to date had been in the Wyoming caucuses, on 5 January, which none of the candidates seriously contested.

He hailed his Michigan win as "the beginning of a comeback". Mr Romney's attention to Michigan's auto industry, that is said to have helped him there, was turned to South Carolina's industries.

"You've seen it here, in furniture. You've seen the textile industry, where Washington watched, saw the jobs go and go," he told a group of senior citizens at the Sun City Hilton Head Retirement Center.

"I'm not willing to declare defeat on any industry where we can be competitive. I'm going to fight for every job."

Mr Huckabee and Mr McCain had both headed to South Carolina before the Michigan results were tallied.

The BBC's North America editor Justin Webb says the Republican race is so open that there is talk of it going on for months.

As well as Mr McCain and Mr Huckabee, actor-politician Fred Thompson has been focussing heavily on South Carolina and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Florida, which holds its primary on 29 January.

'Uncommitted' voters

The Michigan primary will not affect the overall contest as Democrats in the state were barred from sending delegates to the all-important final party convention - when the presidential candidate will be chosen for the November election.

KEY DATES FOR CANDIDATES 19 Jan: Nevada caucuses; South Carolina primary (Rep)26 Jan: South Carolina primary (Dem)29 Jan: Florida primary5 Feb: some 20 states including California, New York, New Jersey <a class="" href="/1/hi/world/americas/7188111.stm">Q&A: Michigan primary</a><a class="" href="/1/hi/world/americas/7056688.stm">Michigan state profile</a>

Of the Democratic frontrunners, none campaigned in the state, and only Hillary Clinton had her name on the ballot. She won a majority of the votes cast, but a substantial number went to the ballot listing for "uncommitted".

The candidates themselves were taking part in a debate in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama promised to end their damaging dispute over racial politics.

The heavily-unionised service sector workers in Las Vegas form a major voting bloc in Nevada, and are a key part of the Democrats' constituency in the state.

Looking ahead to South Carolina, Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton are trying to win over the state's large African-American community, and John Edwards is hoping to repeat his winning performance in the 2004 presidential primary.