The bash on Romney about the former governor's private-sector background at Bain Capital – primarily coming from Gingritch and Perry — is actually having an impact in the vital state of South Carolina:

Despite a historic sweep of the first two nominating contests in the GOP field, Mitt Romney holds just a two percentage point lead in South Carolina, his smallest lead of 2012.

Romney is the favorite of 23 percent of South Carolina voters, narrowly edging Newt Gingrich's 21 percent, according to the latest poll from Insider Advantage. Rick Santorum pulls 14 percent of Palmetto state voters, while Ron Paul rounds out the top four with 13 percent. Jon Huntsman's seven percent and Rick Perry's five percent trail the pack.

Two percentage points?  That's it?

If Romney loses South Carolina to Gingritch, and the pack thins out to just Gingritch and Romney, this GOP race is going to get bloody (and interesting).