COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- A group of South Carolina politicians and pastors will advise Republican presidential hopeful John McCain on issues such as abortion, which are key to winning the support of conservative Christians in this early voting state, the Arizona senator's campaign said Wednesday.

Among the advisers for the state chapter of McCain's "Americans of Faith" committee are Carl Falk, chairman of the anti-abortion Palmetto Family Council, and Bob Wilson, a trustee of ultra-religious Bob Jones University. State Sen. Mike Fair, who is forming the group, said he chose "highly respected pro-family leaders and South Carolinians of faith to serve as the nucleus of the steering committee."

"John McCain's character, courage, consistent conservative record, and life experiences uniquely qualify him to lead America at this critical moment in history," Fair, R-Greenville, said in a statement released by the campaign. "He is the only viable candidate who has been consistently right on abortion, the defense of traditional marriage, and the effort to appoint federal judges who will interpret the law and not attempt to legislate from the bench."

McCain, who has long opposed abortion, has said he believes it should be up to states to decide the legality of marriage and civil unions for gay couples, which he personally opposes.

Also tapped for the committee were the Rev. Jerry DuBose, a pastor in Barnwell; the Rev. Jerry Berry, a pastor in West Columbia; and J.D. Martin, former chairman of the South Carolina Policy Council.

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