Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (CNN) – South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Mitt Romney's most prominent tea party supporter in the state, responded to some of the group's harsh criticisms of the former Massachusetts governor on Monday.

Her response came at the first-ever statewide tea party convention in the Palmetto state – one day after some speakers urged activists to unite against Romney. In one disturbing example, an activist showed an image of a seal hunter gleefully surrounded by dead seals in bloody waters.

Tune in Thursday at 8 p.m. ET for the CNN/Southern Republican Presidential Debate hosted by John King and follow it on Twitter at #CNNDebate. For real-time coverage of the South Carolina primary, go to CNNPolitics.com and on the CNN apps for iPhone, iPad, Android or other phones.
FULL POST

Hilton Head, South Carolina (CNN) – Mitt Romney took the stage at a veterans event Friday in Hilton Head surrounded by a trio of high-profile supporters who defended the presidential candidate, as well as injected enthusiasm and a bit of unpredictability into the evening.

Sen. John McCain, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Ambassador John Bolton spoke with Romney before a packed audience in a small room at a Hilton Head hotel, where voters crammed into an overflow room and listened from a balcony.
FULL POST

Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) - Mitt Romney is putting his endorsement from Gov. Nikki Haley front and center in a new mail piece sent out across South Carolina on Thursday.

The front flap of the mailer, which touts Romney's economic development plans, displays a photograph of Romney on stage with Haley at a recent campaign rally in New Hampshire.
FULL POST

Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) - South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley warned the GOP field against attacking Mitt Romney's private sector record at an enthusiastic rally for the Republican front-runner Wednesday.

"We have a real problem when we have Republicans talking like Democrats against the free market," she said as the audience cheered. "We believe in the free market."
FULL POST

Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) - New Hampshire is about to meet Nikki Haley.

The South Carolina governor will head north this weekend to campaign alongside Mitt Romney in the Granite State, a source familiar with the plans told CNN.

CNN Live: Tune in tonight at 7 p.m. ET for CNN's live special coverage of the Iowa Caucuses and follow real-time results on CNNPolitics.com and on Twitter at #cnnelections. Stay up to date with CNN apps for iPhone, iPad, Android or other phones.
FULL POST

Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) – Mitt Romney has added two veteran Republican operatives to his small team in South Carolina as the state's primary nears.

And a super PAC backing Romney's presidential bid is now running television ads in the Palmetto State attacking the immigration stances of Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry, two candidates who hope their southern roots help them appeal to South Carolina voters.
FULL POST

Greenville, South Carolina (CNN) - South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley brought her star power to bear Friday after she backed Mitt Romney for president.

Romney seemed energized by the political coup, telling the Greenville audience: "Today I woke up with a big smile on my face."
FULL POST

Sioux City, Iowa (CNN) - Mitt Romney's presidential campaign moved quickly Friday to capitalize on a high-profile endorsement from South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley by sending out a wave of robocalls across the early primary state that feature Haley herself making the case for the former Massachusetts governor.

"Hi, this is Gov. Nikki Haley, and this morning I announced my endorsement of Mitt Romney for President of the United States," Haley says in the call, which was received by a Republican voter in Rock Hill who provided it to CNN.

Listen to the call here.
FULL POST

Sioux City, Iowa (CNN) – South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said her decision to endorse Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential race became clear two weeks ago.

At the end of November, Haley ducked out of a Republican Governors Association meeting in Orlando and drove down to Tampa to meet privately with Romney.
FULL POST

(CNN) – Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley endorsed Mitt Romney for president Friday, stressing his history in the private sector.

Haley, whose state hosts the first-in-the-South primary, pointed to the former Massachusetts governor’s history outside Washington, saying that experience is needed to “get America back on track.”
FULL POST