While tea party favorite Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina continues to ponder making a run at the Republican presidential nomination, his competitors are keeping tabs on what he does. His home state will be a crucial primary battle.

A new poll from Public Policy Polling (PPP), a firm with connections to prominent Democrats, shows DeMint is in the lead in the Palmetto State if he runs -- but he is not in firm control by any means. The PPP poll had DeMint taking 24 percent, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in second with 20 percent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 17 percent, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in fourth with 12 percent and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia getting 10 percent. If DeMint does not run, Huckabee leads with 26 percent followed by Romney with 20 percent, Palin with 18 percent and Gingrich with 13 percent … Speaking of South Carolina, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, his eyes clearly on running for the Republican nomination, visited the state for the ninth time on Wednesday. Santorum spoke at tea party events in Myrtle Beach and North Charleston … Romney is enjoying a media blitz while he promotes his book which is now in paperback. He gave a “Top Ten” list on David Letterman’s show and appeared on Piers Morgan’s new show on CNN on Tuesday night. Romney told Morgan that had he won the Republican nod in 2008, he would have most likely lost against Barack Obama …

Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer looks ready to launch a bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Roemer told a group of young entrepreneurs on Tuesday night that he was talking things over with his family and with business associates and was preparing to hit the campaign trail in March. Roemer hinted that he would run as a reformer, embracing the tactic once-and-future California Gov. Jerry Brown used when he ran for the Democratic nomination back in 1992 of not taking contributions of more than $100 … Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana is not showing any signs of backing down in his fight with social conservatives. Daniels earlier called for a “truce” on social issues, arguing that the economy and the size and scope of government spending needed to be tackled first. Daniels repeated that message on an appearance on Laura Ingram’s radio show on Tuesday … While his 2008 campaign still has more than $1 million in debt, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani appears to be gearing up for making another bid at the Republican presidential nomination. Giuliani will be headed up to New Hampshire in March to speak to a Republican group in Manchester …

The Democrats announced on Tuesday that they will hold their 2012 presidential nominating convention in Charlotte, N.C. This will be the first time the Democrats have held the convention in the South since 1988 when they nominated Mike Dukakis in Atlanta ... While it’s no surprise since he carried North Carolina by the skin of his teeth in 2008, President Barack Obama has gone out of his way to court the Tarheel State during his first two years in office. The Obamas vacationed in Asheville back in 2009 and the first trip Michelle Obama made as first lady was to Fort Bragg … Former U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska, who ran for the Democratic and Libertarian presidential nominations in 2008, and has expressed being open to taking Obama on in 2012, will be speaking on WikiLeaks in California on Friday night. Gravel, of course, was a major figure in the Pentagon Papers saga in the early 1970s …