Rick Perry

After no-drama New Hampshire, the Palmetto State is shaping up to be a fierce battle for the Republican presidential nomination. It's also a crucial spot for opponents to derail Mitt Romney.

Even before his big win in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney was opening up a lead in South Carolina, the next state to host a GOP primary. It's possible support will solidify behind a challenger, but time is already running short.

When a presidential candidate has a perceived political vulnerability, count on his intraparty rivals to go after it hard, even if they wind up eventually helping the efforts of the opposition party's White House candidate. That's essentially what we're seeing as Mitt Romney's fellow GOP presidential candidates attack him for presiding over layoffs as CEO of a private equity firm.

"No politicians, no exceptions" reads a sign in front of Colby's Breakfast & Lunch in Portsmouth, N.H. The move, an employee says, is in response to complaints from customers.

Though he said last night that he would go home to reassess his bid for the presidency — a signal that he might drop out of the race — Texas Gov. Rick Perry just tweeted that "the next leg of the marathon is the Palmetto State."

The field of GOP challengers narrowed a day after the caucuses as Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann said she is ending her 2012 presidential bid. Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Rick Perry went home to regroup after his poor showing in the Hawkeye State.

The Texas governor said he's returning home to determine whether there is a path forward for his Republican presidential campaign. He got 10 percent of the vote and finished fifth in the caucuses, the opening contest to pick a challenger to President Obama.

He believes in cutting taxes, rolling back regulations, balancing the budget and increasing domestic energy production. Here are a few other things politics watchers will tell you that you might not know about Perry.

Television advertising is starting later than usual this year, but it's not because the candidates aren't making ads — most of their videos can be found online. They range from the cinematic to the quirky, like one much-discussed ad from Herman Cain starring his cigarette-smoking campaign manager.

Before he was elected governor of Texas, or to any of a series of positions going back more than 25 years, Perry grew cotton and raised cattle on land that his family had worked since the late 1800s. In every campaign, he has run as a man shaped by that experience. But real life on the farm was far less romantic.