| Republican voters in South Carolina are | | | | voters. |
| casting ballots in the party's presidential | | | | |
| primary. In Greenville, VOA's Brian Wagner | | | | In his campaign, he appealed to religious |
| reports the outcome may signal a clear lead | | | | opposition to gay marriage, saying, if |
| among the field's top three candidates. | | | | elected, he would lead efforts to amend the |
| | | | constitution to define marriage as between a |
| After early primaries and caucuses in the | | | | man and a woman. |
| Republican race for the presidential | | | | |
| nomination, no clear leader has emerged from | | | | "The fundamental unit of any government is |
| the field of candidates. | | | | family and strong marriages, and without that |
| | | | the rest of society begins to fall apart," he |
| Senator John McCain, former Arkansas Governor | | | | said. |
| Mike Huckabee, and former Massachusetts | | | | |
| Governor Mitt Romney have each claimed at | | | | Mitt Romney campaigned briefly this week in |
| least one victory so far. A win in South | | | | South Carolina before flying to Nevada for |
| Carolina could provide needed momentum in | | | | the Republican caucus there. |
| upcoming primaries. | | | | |
| | | | Former Senator Fred Thompson has been |
| McCain has emphasized his military experience | | | | trailing the leading candidates so far, but |
| during the campaign in South Carolina, home | | | | hopes to make a strong showing in South |
| to many active and retired military | | | | Carolina, which is next to his home state of |
| personnel. | | | | Tennessee. |
| | | | |
| At a campaign stop Friday, the Arizona | | | | Thompson has tried to separate himself from |
| senator addressed fears of an economic | | | | the other candidates by claiming he has the |
| recession, saying what he called "out of | | | | toughest policies to fight illegal |
| control" government spending is part of the | | | | immigration. During a rally on Friday, he |
| problem. | | | | told supporters that controlling immigration |
| | | | is a key component of national security. |
| "Stop the spending. If we don't stop the | | | | |
| spending, it is all going to go out the | | | | "Part of that national security issue |
| door," he said. | | | | involves our own borders," he said. "A nation |
| | | | that cannot secure its own borders will not |
| Huckabee, a Baptist minister, is expected to | | | | remain a sovereign nation, and we need to |
| win support among the state's many Christian | | | | understand that. |