Mitt Romney's packed stop in Conway might be a campaign tactic you hadn't heard about: the advance man.
The countdown is on with just two weeks to the January 21st South Carolina primary. In between the debates, conventions, and primary day itself, a key part to that race are the political campaigns.
Those campaigning here are expected to spend millions.
About $3.1 million has been spent in South Carolina so far, with more than half of that having come from a pro-Rick Perry super PAC, Make Us Great Again, according to ad buying data provided to The Associated Press.
They have a few tricks up their sleeve to help them on the 21st for the primary.
Mitt Romney's packed visit at the
Peanut House Friday might have looked like many of the other packed candidate visits along the Grand Strand during the campaign season for the 2012 GOP nomination, and there's a reason for that.
Political Science Chair Dr. David White at Francis Marion University has worked on campaigns in early states like South Carolina. He says that packed look is thanks to what campaigns call an "advance man."
"You always try to find a location where you have a standing room only crowd. You know if you expect a hundred people, you find a room that only fits 50 people. And if you're expecting a thousand people you find a place that only fits 500," he explains.
Political consultant Ed Espinoza says, "Having lots of college students there to give a useful vibrance to your campaign. Picking imagery that helps your audience identify with the tradition idea of campaigns."
Espinoza also says every campaign has what they call a tracker. Their job is to travel with an opposing campaign and make note of any verbal slip ups that happen on the trail.
Mike Taylor wrote, "A successful campaign would be based on addressing the needs of the AVERAGE WORKING PERSON!!"
If anything can be judged by the latest Rasmussen poll of likely South Carolina primary voters, Romney's campaign seems to be
leading the tight race.
Romney leads the poll with 27 percent. Rick Santorum comes in second with 24 percent. He plans to head to Greenville on Sunday. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is in third with 18 percent, followed by Texas congressman Ron Paul at 11 percent. Texas governor Rick Perry has just five percent. He'll be in South Carolina Sunday where he'll tour the state for the next 15 days. Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman is at two percent. Another two percent of the likely primary voters like some other candidate, and 11 percent are still undecided.
