A Republican operative tells BuzzFeed that Rick Perry placed a $265,000 media buy in South Carolina -- a sign that his candidacy will likely go on at least until the January 21 primary, which may be the last shot for a conservative candidate to consolidate support to truly challenge the frontrunning Mitt Romney.
A group backing Ron Paul is also planning to spend almost $200,000 in the state, while Romney has reportedly reserved about $250,000 worth of television time.