Republican presidential candidates: Mitt Romney riding high but Tea Party plot to punish him in South

Mr Romney has already won in Iowa, narrowly, and yesterday in New Hampshire but faces so-called Tea Party opposition when he takes his campaign to South Carolina.

The former governor of Massachusetts, seen as a moderate on social policy, will meet with a more sceptical electorate in the south, and is expected to be targeted by former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, whose own campaign is fast running out of steam.

Mr Romney romped home in New Hampshire with 39.4 per cent of the vote.

It came a week after he eked out the narrowest of victories in Iowa, making it the first time a non-incumbent Republican has triumphed in both states.

A third win in South Carolina would lend the Romney campaign near-unstoppable momentum.

A recent survey suggests that he is ahead, with 37 per cent of Republicans in the state likely to back him. But the race will tighten ahead of the 21 January ballot.

Moreover there is a large anti-Romney movement ready to disrupt his campaign.

Karen Martin, an organiser of the Tea Party’s Spartanburg branch recently said: “There’s no Tea Partier that I talk to in the state or nationally that would want to promote Romney.

“Other than the people that have come out publicly and endorsed Mitt Romney and people left over from his 2008 campaign, I do not personally know anyone that does not despise Mitt Romney.”

The source of the antipathy comes from a perception that Mr Romney is a “Massachusetts moderate” who has flip-flopped on touchstone issues such as gay marriage and abortion. In addition, his Mormon faith is eyed with suspicion amongst Republican evangelicals.

Having held sway over Republicanism in recent years, the Tea Party’s influence has waned of late. But in the weekend ahead of the South Carolina vote, Tea Party groups are planning a series of meetings to discuss ways to boost the chances of a right-wing challenger.

Many have coalesced around former Pennsylvanian senator Rick Santorum. The evangelical Christian used his socially conservative base to propel him to a near upset in Iowa, falling just eight votes short of Mr Romney

But he fared less well in New Hampshire, a state that tends to like more moderate candidates.

A strong showing from libertarian-leaning Ron Paul also took attention away from the trio of conservatives trying to overtake Mr Romney.

Republican pollster Adam Geller said: “The Tea Party has been overshadowed by the strength of Romney and Ron Paul.

“And part of the reason why they have been overshadowed is there are three candidates – Gingrich, Santorum and Rick Perry – who are splitting most of their votes.”

He added that it would be better for Perry and Gingrich to drop out, leaving the way open for Mr Santorum to represent the religious right.

But Mr Gingrich has signalled his intention to retaliate with a $3.4 million advertising spend in South Carolina which will cast the front-runner as a predatory capitalist whose private equity firm profited by sacking employees.