The Hill News

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) plans to stay overnight at the South Carolina governor's mansion during a campaign visit to the state. South Carolina is among the earliest primaries in the nominating process, and the endorsement of popular conservative Gov. Nikki Haley has been highly sought after by the Republican contenders.

The South Carolina primary is an important state in the GOP primary process â€" from its inception in 1980 through 2008, the winner of the South Carolina primary has gone on to take the Republican nomination.

A spokesman for Haley said that each of the candidates has been invited to stay at the mansion as they travel the state.

The visit will be especially important for Gingrich, who is beginning to gain traction in a race that so far has been a struggle. A CNN poll released Monday showed Gingrich at 11 percent, running third among Republican contenders, and his campai! gn announced the endorsement of Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips.

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