Activists focusing on Romney in S.C.

When Governor Mitt Romney delivers a major speech to South Carolina Republicans Monday, many party activists there will listen with a key question in mind: Can a Massachusetts governor, with nuanced positions on gay rights and abortion, appeal to conservative Southern voters?

The speech, which some view as Romney's first step toward a bid for the White House, is expected to draw hundreds of GOP members to Spartanburg, including most of the state's Republican elite. South Carolina holds the first major Southern presidential primary.

Romney supporters have spent months quietly easing the way for his introduction to the key state, donating lavishly to GOP candidates and county committees. South Carolina political observers suggest he will arrive to a warm and open-minded audience.

''It stands to reason that folks will probably ask themselves, 'OK, here's a governor from Massachusetts, he could potentially be a presidential candidate, so let's size him up,' " said Luke Byars, executive director of the South Carolina Republican Party, who will attend Romney's speech. ''If you ask me point blank if a candidate is for civil unions and is lukewarm on abortion, I would tell you it's hard and would take a heck of a campaign and a tremendous candidate to overcome those obstacles. Because those are obstacles."

Still, some observers say Romney's devout Mormon faith and experience in the governor's office, at the Salt Lake City Olympics, and in corporate boardrooms will play well among South Carolina's Republican voters.

''He's conservative; he's articulate; he's nice looking," said Roberta Combs, president of the Christian Coalition of America and a native South Carolinian who believes Romney's potential as a candidate is immense. ''I think it's a little early to tell. A lot can happen between now and the primary, but I think it's very smart of him to come to South Carolina. It's so important to the presidential election."

Rick Beltram -- chairman of the Spartanburg County Republican Party, which is hosting the President's Day event -- said Romney's position of leadership in a liberal state could force him to work harder than some other national Republicans to establish his conservative credentials.

In addition, Romney's recent announcement in The New York Times that he would oppose human embryonic stem-cell research that involves therapeutic cloning was noticed among South Carolina Republicans, and some say it will bolster his image among abortion opponents.

''When I first announced that Romney was going to be our speaker, some people did come up to me and said they were a little troubled because they feel he's prochoice," Beltram said. ''This stem-cell research article that came out in the New York Times, from the South Carolina perspective, was very good, and the timing only a few days before coming to South Carolina was very good."

Romney has insisted that the timing of his announcement was a reaction to the introduction of a bill in the state Senate. Regardless, it has sparked intense interest among conservative pundits nationally. In the past week, Romney has given interviews to the syndicated columnist Cal Thomas and talk radio host Laura Ingraham, both of whom reach wide conservative audiences.

If Romney does emerge as a key crusader against human embryonic research involving cloning, it would be the second time since his election in 2002 that events in Massachusetts have given him a platform on an issue of interest to conservatives. After the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that gay marriage was constitutionally guaranteed in November 2003, Romney went on to become the face of opposition to the ruling, testifying before Congress about the need for a federal constitutional amendment to ban same-sex nuptials.

But Romney also urged his fellow Republican lawmakers to pass a state constitutional amendment to establish civil unions, arguing it was the lesser of two evils. It was a position that orthodox conservatives in the Legislature balked at, and one that could raise eyebrows in socially conservative precincts of South Carolina. In addition, Romney's position in Massachusetts on abortion -- he has said he would not seek to change abortion laws in the state -- may not please conservatives.

''I just don't think he has an ice cube's chance in hell here," said former South Carolina Democratic Party chairman Dick Harpootlian. ''When they look at the issues they beat [Democratic Massachusetts senator John F.] Kerry to death with, he's a goner."

However, Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster who has watched South Carolina politics for more than two decades, believes that Romney has all the elements to put together a competitive bid in the state's presidential primary, especially given the lack of an incumbent or consensus candidate.

''It is far and away the most open Republican nomination in my lifetime, and I'm 54," said Ayres. ''A candidate like Governor Romney with an incredible string of successes in various fields in his life has every bit as good a shot as the other candidates."

A series of recent national polls suggests that, with nearly four years to go before Election Day 2008, Romney is barely a blip on the radar screen of Republican voters. He garnered the support of just 1 percent of those asked who they would want as the party's next presidential candidate.

But Romney is nonetheless sparking curiosity among pollsters and the media in advance of his visit to South Carolina. One measure of that is C-SPAN's decision to air Romney's South Carolina speech live Monday night as part of its occasional series, ''Road to the White House."

Raphael Lewis can be reached at rlewis@globe.com.