An NBC/Marist poll released on Wednesday morning found businessman Herman Cain leading former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts in South Carolina, the first state in the South to hold a presidential primary. Cain took 30 percent in the poll with Romney in a close second with 26 percent. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas was a distant third at 9 percent followed by former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich with 6 percent and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas who was tied with U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota with 5 percent each.

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich released a Web video on Tuesday that focuses on his experience and the nations economic record during his tenure in charge of Congress. The ad contains a number of clips fromvarious debates with the other Republican presidential candidates which have been some of Gingrichs finest moments of the campaign. The ad follows the same playbook Gingrich has used in those debates. Instead of firing away at the other GOP hopefuls, Gingrich takes aim at President Barack Obama and the mainstream media.

A Gallup poll released on Monday found that 50 percent of those surveyed favor the legalization of marijuana while 46 percent want to keep it illegal. The poll prompted a statement on Tuesday from Republican presidential hopeful former Gov. Gary Johnson of New Mexico who has been a longstanding advocate of marijuana legalization.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is slipping badly in polls at the national and state level in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Looking to turn things around, Perry released a Web video on Tuesday. In the ad, Perry highlights his record on job creation in his decade leading the Lone Star State -- and takes a jab at the corresponding record of former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts.

The stakes are high on Tuesday night as the Republican presidential candidates clash in a debate held in Las Vegas. Some of the candidates have been critical of the decision to move the Nevada caucus to Jan. 15 and one of them -- former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah -- announced that he will be skipping the debate.

Look for businessman Herman Cain to draw some fire as some of the other conservatives in the race will be looking to hammer his 9-9-9 plan and pick up votes at his expense.

Keep your eyes here as Sunshine State News will be live blogging the debate.

On Tuesday, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner headed to testify to the U.S. Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee about the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, the team behind former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner hammered former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, one of the authors of the bill. Both Hasner and LeMieux are in a crowded Republican primary to see which Republican will emerge to take on Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.

On Tuesday, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam announced that he was backing former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts for the Republican presidential nomination.

I am proud to have the support of Commissioner Adam Putnam, said Romney in a statement. Throughout his career, Adam's leadership on difficult issues has served Floridians well. Adam's support and counsel will be important in the upcoming election, as we work to defeat President Obama and restore the American economy.

On Monday, the team behind U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas -- making his second bid for the Republican presidential nomination -- unveiled their plan to cut taxes and the size and scope of the federal government.

The Plan to Restore America calls for cutting $1 trillion from the federal government in the first year of a Paul presidency. It also contains a plan which, its backers insist, will balance the federal budget in the third year of a Paul presidency.

A national CNN poll released on Monday found former Gov. Mitt Romney and businessman Herman Cain in a close battle to lead the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

The poll, which was conducted by ORC International for CNN, found Romney leading the pack with 26 percent followed by Cain in second with 25 percent. Texas Gov. Rick Perry placed third with 13 percent.