PROFILES: Who's left in the US Republican presidential race

Jan 22, 2012, 4:16 GMT

Washington - Four contenders remained in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination after Saturday's vote in South Carolina.

But the race appears to have narrowed to just two candidates: Newt Gingrich, a maverick who has strong backing from voters with conservative cultural values, who took a surprising 40 per cent of the South Carolina vote; and Mitt Romney, a moderate who has the backing of the centre-right party's establishment, and who won 28 per cent of the vote.

Rick Santorum took 17 per cent and Ron Paul 13 per cent of the South Carolina vote. Texas Governor Rick Perry and former US ambassador to China Jon Huntsman dropped out of the race in the days leading up to the vote.

NEWT GINGRICH: Gingrich, 68, surged in popularity in the final two days of the South Carolina campaign after a feisty performance in Thursday's debate, when he drew thunderous applause for facing down a question from the moderator about his marital infidelity. The former speaker of the House of Representatives was credited with leading the centre-right party to control the lower chamber in 1994 after decades in the minority.

Gingrich, who also led the attempt to drive former president Bill Clinton out of office over the Monika Lewinsky affair, later came under fire for a series of ethics violations and was the only House speaker to face discipline from the ethics committee. His multiple divorces and marital infidelity have been an issue in the campaign.

Gingrich is an advocate of small government and so-called family values. He has called US President Barack Obama the 'most dangerous' US president ever for his support of health insurance reform and the bailout of the auto industry, among other things.

MITT ROMNEY: Romney, 64, was hailed as the frontrunner after his 39-per-cent win in the north-east state of New Hampshire earlier in January over five rivals. He was headed for a double-digit win in South Carolina over Gingrich as late as Wednesday, but lost ground from a double setback: His win in the early January Iowa caucus was taken away in the certified results, which put Rick Santorum ahead by 34 votes. And he stumbled badly in Thursday's debate over the question of when and in what detail he would release his tax returns.

The multi-millionaire served as governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 but has spent most of his life in business at the consulting firm Bain Capital. Gingrich has tried to paint Romney as a job killer for his role in buying up businesses and shutting some of them down.

Romney says his business experience puts him in the best position to turn around the faltering US economy, and calls Obama a 'socialist' who is leading the country down the European pathway of fiscal ruin. While governor, he oversaw a revamping of the state's health care system, which has drawn fire from his rival contenders for the presidential nomination.

RICK SANTORUM: The former senator from the eastern state of Pennsylvania is among the more conservative candidates in the race. The 53-year-old has struggled to gain momentum on the national stage, and has focussed heavily on his Italian grandfather, who spent years working in Pennsylvania coal mines.

Although Santorum served two six-year terms in the Senate in the swing state of Pennsylvania, he was trounced for re-election in 2006, losing amid a surge of support for Democrats. Pennsylvania voters also were angry at Santorum for claiming state tax money to send his children to school while he was in Congress, even though the children were home-schooled.

RON PAUL: A Texas congressman known for his libertarian views, Paul, 76, has a devoted following. Paul has presented himself as an alternative to the typical candidates by positioning himself as an isolationist on foreign policy and for calling for strict limits on the size of government.

Paul, who worked as a doctor before entering politics, has run for president twice before. He has become something of a celebrity among those advocating smaller government, and his son, Rand, was elected to the Senate on similar positions.