The GOP primary for governor in South Carolina is going to be good one.  Republicans have a great chance of coming out of the contest with a very strong candidate for November ’10.  From Greenville Online:

The race for governor sharpened Thursday with two of the state’s top Republican officials, U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett and Attorney General Henry McMaster, saying they are taking steps toward likely campaigns.

Barrett, a fourth-term congressman from Westminster, said he’s hired a political consultant, Jim Dyke, as part of an effort to have “all the pieces in place to literally hit the ground running” once he makes his decision, which could come before summer.

McMaster, a former federal prosecutor and GOP chairman who was elected attorney general in 2002, said, “it is highly likely” he will enter the race, and “it won’t be long” before he makes an announcement.

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