Winning the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary puts Mitt Romney in a good place for the remaining primaries in South Carolina and Florida this month. But a grimmer economic picture in these states has the potential to damage his momentum. New Hampshire, with an unemployment rate of 5.2 percent in November, had the fourth-lowest unemployment rate in the country, and Iowa's 5.7 percent was similarly below the national rate. South Carolina and Florida, with unemployment rates of 9.9 and 10 percent respectively, will be much more focused on the candidate's economic credentials, and perhaps be open to platforms offering more radical change—like those of Ron Paul or Rick Santorum—than Romney's comparably moderate economic plan.