Wintry weather adds wrinkle at 11th hour  —  Independents' impact also key  —  Months of heated campaigning in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary simmer down to today's vote.  —  Some experts predict fewer voters will cast ballots today than in years past.

More than a dozen lobbyists working to raise money for Romney … Former Bay State Gov. Mitt Romney, who has cast himself as a Washington outsider and blasted his opponents' ties to lobbyists, has more than a dozen federally registered lobbyists raising money for him and several others advising his campaign, records show.

GOP Race Is Close in S.C.  —  COLUMBIA, S.C., Jan. 18 — Sen. John McCain and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee dueled on the final day of campaigning before Saturday's South Carolina presidential primary, with each of the front-runners seeking to avoid a costly defeat that could set back his hopes of winning the Republi...

Edwards, Clinton Critical of Obama's Praise for GOP And Reagan  —  RENO, NEV. — John Edwards and Hillary Rodham Clinton criticized Barack Obama's praise of the Republican Party and Ronald Reagan - an anathema for many Democrats, particularly union members considered crucial to winning Nevada's Democratic caucuses Saturday.

Waiting for Reagan  —  You fight an election with the politicians you have.  —  Conservative editorialists, radio hosts, and bloggers are unhappy.  They don't like the Republican presidential field, and many of them have been heaping opprobrium on the various GOP candidates with astonishing vigor.