COLUMBIA, S.C. - Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani cemented respect among Republicans in South Carolina with his leadership following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but his moderate social stance and ties to Bernard Kerik could hurt his chances in the state's first-in-the-South primary - if he decides to run for president.

Though the primary is still more than three years away, political experts already have begun speculating on who might run on the GOP side to replace President Bush. If recent presidential primaries are any indication, South Carolina's role will loom large.

"There's a lot of interest here in our small state," state Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson said Thursday. "There are a lot of people who show an interest here right now, and possibly the mayor would be one of those."

Other possible candidates, including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., have been in the state recently. Giuliani, who has stumped for Republicans in South Carolina in the past, has a speaking engagement scheduled in February, Dawson said.

But it's unclear how he will be received.

The former mayor's image may have taken a hit because of his involvement with Kerik, who withdrew as Bush's nominee as the next U.S. homeland security chief.

Kerik resigned from Giuliani's consulting firm Thursday citing distractions, which include questions about a nanny-housekeeper he employed, an extramarital affair and dealing with a construction company suspected of mob ties.

And if the former mayor's ties to Kerik don't hurt him, his moderate stance on abortion rights and same-sex marriage might, said Francis Marion University political scientist Neal Thigpen.

Conservative Republicans whose views may not jibe with Giuliani's welcome the backlash, Thigpen said.

"They think this Kerik thing maybe has wounded Giuliani," Thigpen said. "Probably in their heart of hearts they're happy about it."

But Dawson, who has been head of the GOP in South Carolina for three years, said respect for Giuliani hasn't diminished.

"I still think we hold him in high esteem here in South Carolina," Dawson said. "We know that he was a part of leading America out of one of its darkest days. We still have a complete vision of him walking out of the rubble with his firefighters."

Whether other images of Giuliani, like his extramarital affair or past strained relations with the Republican party, will become an issue in South Carolina remains to be seen.

"Those are issues and personalities that get brought out," Dawson said. "It's up to the candidates themselves to answer, not for me to pass judgment on them."