Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, took in $159,650 from South Carolina between July 1 and Sept. 30, bringing his state total to $402,510, eclipsing McCain’s $359,917. The Arizona senator reported raising $66,277.B.J. Boling, McCain’s in-state spokesman, said, “Considering the media wrote off our campaign in July, we are thrilled to have outraised Gov. Romney, who’s dumped millions of dollars in South Carolina, and Fred Thompson.”Giuliani’s surge came against a backdrop of polling turmoil in which he and Thompson seesawed for the lead while McCain moved up and Romney’s strength increased, good enough to take the lead in South Carolina in American Research Group’s September poll.The Greenville News

Giuliani’s continued lead is defying the conventional wisdom of what will win over Republicans. Langley has touched on this a little bit and I agree with him when he says that the current administration’s constant catering to the social conservative wing of the party while ignoring the concerns of the fiscal wing is what is driving Giuliani’s candidacy. I think this is demonstrated even more when you look at the slate of candidates running. The true social conservatives in the race are being left behind while the more moderate ones are out in front.

This article below from the Charleston Post & Courier this morning struck me also:

They talk about football over their fries, chew over local issues with a helping of barbecue, sip sweet tea as they pass around an unflattering picture of Hillary Clinton.

For 127 consecutive Wednesdays, this “Lunch Bunch” has met at the Beacon Drive-In, a landmark diner — and a must-stop for politicians since the days when Strom Thurmond actually had to campaign.

In this most conservative area of a conservative state they are, of course, all Republicans. And although they talk about the presidential candidates a good bit, don’t ask them to pick one.

Spartanburg is probably the most conservative part of the state and even these guys don’t know who they are backing. This isn’t a traditional Republican race by any means. Rudy is clearly continuing to win over social conservatives despite his poor record on those issues. Romney is still managing to fool people into thinking he is a conservative and Fred Thompson, undeniably the most conservative of the three, still has his work cut out for him.

In the end I think Thompson wins the state’s primary, but by a very small margin with Giuliani right behind.