10/27: Sanford goes to Arizona

A trip to Arizona by Republican S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford fueled speculation that he might be vying for the White House in 2008, according to The State newspaper:

It is Sanford’s second major event in a key state in as many months. In September, supporters held a fund-raiser for Sanford in Ohio, another key presidential battleground state. The event was sponsored in part by the Cincinnati Reds baseball team....Sanford also visited Iowa in July as part of a National Governors Association conference. Iowa is traditionally the first state to select a party’s presidential nominee.

Sanford’s travels raise questions, said presidential scholar Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia.

“I have to admit, the pattern of travel is suspicious,” Sabato said. “Traditionally, it’s been a dead giveaway” that a candidate is considering a run for president.

10/13: SC Dems try to keep early primary

The South Carolina Democratic Party is trying to keep something that helped it a lot in 2004 - - an early Democratic presidential primary. According to Knight-Ridder's Lee Bandy:

South Carolina is a leading candidate to join Iowa and New Hampshire as early birds among the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries.

Working in the state's favor: We're cheap, we're small and we're racially diverse.

S.C. Democrats care because early primaries get more than their fair share of attention from the candidates and national media. Translation: More exposure for the state and more dollars spent here. Some estimates reach into the millions.

10/9/05, Bandy: Watch out for Huckabee

The State newspaper's Lee Bandy writes that Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee bears watching in the 2008 GOP presidential contest:

Huckabee, 49, is an intriguing person, just the kind of candidate who could catch fire here.

Having spent a significant part of his adult life as a pastor and denominational leader, he is a darling of Christian conservatives who make up a lion’s share of the S.C. GOP primary vote. He led the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, the largest denomination in the state.

He says those experiences gave him a deep sense of the problems faced by individuals and families.

10/7/05: SC, ARK governors tour Charleston health fair

S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, both mentioned as presidential candidates and who both push healthier living, were in Charleston Thursday at a health fair, according to The (Charleston) Post and Courier:

The health fair was the first in a series of visits Huckabee is making to various states to learn about efforts that could be copied across the country. Huckabee said he visited South Carolina first because the Healthy South Carolina initiative fits that profile.

Huckabee is widely believed to be a potential 2008 presidential candidate, and South Carolina's early presidential primary is considered key for any Republican hopeful.Health care is a vital issue for many governors, including Huckabee and Sanford, who are struggling with the skyrocketing growth of Medicaid, the state-federal health program for the poor. States are looking at increasingly drastic measures for stopping that growth.

10/2/05: Huckabee visits Charleston

Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee visited South Carolina over the weekend in what may become a routine occurrence if he throws his hat into the presidential ring. From the Charleston Post and Courier:

Speaking at a state party meeting and then later at a fundraiser at the governor's mansion, Huckabee thanked the GOP faithful for their hard work. Currently the second longest serving governor in the nation, Huckabee credited party activists in his home state with each of his victories.

"It wasn't because I was a great candidate. It was because we had some wonderful people" helping with the campaign, he said at a meeting of the South Carolina Republican Party executive committee. ...

Huckabee is the 10th White House hopeful, and the sixth Republican, to visit the state this year. The lame duck governor, whose term expires in 2007, also has made several trips to Iowa and New Hampshire, two other states with early presidential contests.

Other stories:

• Huckabee takes an early morning run, WLTX TV
• Arkansas gov attends SC fundraiser, Augusta Chronicle/AP