Primary candidates getting buzz on Twitter

The S.C. Republican primary vote is still a week off, but Mitt Romney and Ron Paul were the clear frontrunners in the battle of the Twitter buzz Wednesday, the first day all six candidates campaigned in the state.

Romney, fresh off primary victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, was mentioned more by South Carolina residents on the social network Twitter than any of the other candidates, according to a tally of South Carolina tweets by Pearce Web Development, in conjunction with The Post and Courier.

The tally, which counted tweets from within 50 miles of Charleston, Columbia, Greenville and Myrtle Beach, is hardly scientific -- it doesn't take into account whether the tweets are positive or negative in nature -- but it does give some insight about which candidates people are talking about and where they're talking about them.

The tweets counted were posted between 6 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.

Romney led the way with 595 total mentions while Paul came in second with 478. The two men split the four geographic regions with Romney leading in Charleston and Columbia. Paul led in Greenville and Myrtle Beach.

Rick Perry finished third with 175 mentions, Rick Santorum finished fourth with 169 mentions, Jon Huntsman came in fifth with 149 mentions and Newt Gingrich was last with 139.

The race, however, is just heating up. The Post and Courier will continue the Buzz Barometer through Jan. 21, the day of the primary.