The killing of nine persons in a church in Charleston, South Carolina last week has revived the issue of whether the Confederate flag should be removed from the State House grounds in Columbia, South Carolina.
President Barack Obama, according to the White House, said the flag "belongs to the museum."
"And that is still his position," White House spokesman Eric Schultz, according to Fox News.
2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said the 150-year-old flag should be taken down. "Take down the #ConfederateFlag at the SC Capitol. To many, it is a symbol of racial hatred. Remove it now to honor #Charleston victims," Romney posted on Twitter.
On his Facebook account, Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush echoed Obama's call for the flag to be placed in a museum. "My position on how to address the Confederate flag is clear. In Florida, we acted, moving the flag from the state grounds to a museum where it belonged," he said.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, another Republican presidential bet, told CNN he has no problem if the issue will be revisited but said the flag represents a "part of who we are."
He said for some people, the Confederate flag represents the Civil War but to others it is a racist symbol.
Cornell Brooks, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said the flag "has to come down."
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker refused to give his position on the matter but said, "I think they're going to have a good, healthy debate — and should have a healthy debate in South Carolina amongst officials at the state level."
The report noted that the issue is a risk for Republican candidates who are trying to get the support of South Carolina conservatives who support the display of the flag.
Republican candidate Carly Fiorina described the flag as "symbol of racial hatred" but did not offer her personal position.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also refused to comment, saying the people of South Carolina do not need "people from outside of the state coming in and dictating how they should resolve it."
Democratic presidential bet Hillary Clinton has not made any new statement about the flag but in 2007 she already called for the flag's removal.
