Thread: Gingrich takes South Carolina.

South Carolina GOP primary results – live

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7.08pm: ABC News and CBS are also calling it for Gingrich. That must be a heck of an exit poll lead.

Meanwhile, according to the embedded reporter for NBC News, the Gingrich campaign bus is stuck in traffic an hour out of Columbia, which is rather amusing.

7.04pm: BREAKING: Polls have just closed, and both Fox News and NBC News are calling South Carolina for Newt Gingrich. What that means is that Gingrich has a huge lead in the exit polls, when a TV network feels confident enough to call a result right off the bat.

CNN's exit poll puts Gingrich well in the lead, but the network is holding off a projection for the time being.

6.46pm: You may somehow have missed this awesome piece of Newt-justification by Dr Keith Ablow – "a psychiatrist and member of the Fox News Medical A-Team" – of Newt Gingrich's three marriages? It's obviously a joke but you've got to love that last line:


So, as far as I can tell, judging from the psychological data, we have only one real risk to America from his marital history if Newt Gingrich were to become president: We would need to worry that another nation, perhaps a little younger than ours, would be so taken by Mr. Gingrich that it would seduce him into marrying it and becoming its president.

Isn't that an Onion piece right there?

6.40pm: Rick Perry only left the race two days ago but it already feels like a lifetime.

Meanwhile, it's recrimination time in Texas. . .

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012...y-results-live

January 21, 2012 6:59 PM PrintText

South Carolina primary: As polls close, Gingrich leads

By Brian Montopoli

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich is leading rival Mitt Romney in the South Carolina primary, according to CBS News estimates based on analysis of early exit polls. Rick Santorum and Ron Paul are battling for third place at this early stage.

The estimate comes just after the Palmetto State polls closed at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Live Election Results for South Carolina

If Gingrich ends up with a victory in South Carolina it will be due in large part to his strong performance in two debates in the state this week. Nearly two in three GOP primary voters said the debates played an important role in their decision, and more than half (53 percent) made up their minds in the last few days, according to early exit poll data.

Among these late-deciders, Gingrich was the clear favorite: 45 percent backed him, compared to 24 percent for Romney and 19 percent for Santorum.

And among the 64 percent who said the debates were an important factor, 50 percent backed Gingrich, while just 23 percent were backing Romney. The former Massachusetts governor led among voters who said the debates were not an important factor in their vote, 41 percent to Paul's 21 percent and Gingrich's 18 percent.

The exit poll data show Gingrich winning among white evangelicals, who made up 63 percent of the electorate. Forty-four percent backed Gingrich, while 23 percent backed Romney and 19 percent backed Santorum. Gingrich also held a strong lead over Romney among men (41 percent to 28 percent), conservatives (43 percent to 26 percent) and Tea Party supporters (43 percent to 28 percent). Romney led narrowly among non-Tea Partiers and moderates.

South Carolina GOP primary exit polls

Nearly half said the most important quality in a candidate is that he can beat President Obama in November; among this group, 49 percent were supporting Gingrich and 41 percent were supporting Romney. Gingrich also led Romney among the 61 percent who called the economy the most important issue, 39 percent to 35 percent.

Independents, a group that made up about one fourth of the electorate, split between Gingrich (31 percent), Paul (26 percent) and Romney (25 percent).

A Gingrich victory in South Carolina would recast a race that Romney had been dominating as recently as one week ago, when he had been declared the winner of the first two contests and was leading the polls in South Carolina. The past week has been one of the worst of Romney's campaign: He stumbled in the debates, at one point receiving a smattering of boos for equivocating over how many years of his tax returns he would release, and was stripped of his Iowa win after a recount. Romney, whose net worth is estimated at up to a quarter of a billion dollars, also acknowledged that his effective federal income tax rate is roughly 15 percent, lower than the rate paid by most Americans.

Gingrich, meanwhile, offered up two strong debate performances, including one on Thursday in which he earned a standing ovation for the way he swatted away a question about allegations from his ex-wife. The charges from Marianne Gingrich, who said Gingrich asked her for an open marriage involving the woman who would later become Gingrich's third wife, did not appear to discourage South Carolina Republicans from supporting the former House Speaker.

For Santorum, a poor finish in South Carolina could mean the end of his campaign. Santorum rose from obscurity to eventually be declared the winner in Iowa, but he appears to have been unable to best Gingrich in the battle to become the consensus conservative alternative to Romney in South Carolina, and he may not have the resources going forward to compete in the January 31 contest in Florida, a large state with expensive rates for television ads.

South Carolina primary: As polls close, Gingrich leads - Political Hotsheet - CBS News

Newt Gingrich wins South Carolina primary, CBS News projects

CBS News‎ - 2 minutes ago

Newt Gingrich has defeated Mitt Romney in the South Carolina Republican primary, CBS News is projecting from estimates based on exit polls and early vote ...

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Newt Gingrich wins South Carolina primary, CBS News projects

CBS News‎ - 2 minutes ago

Newt Gingrich has defeated Mitt Romney in the South Carolina Republican primary, CBS News is projecting from estimates based on exit polls and early vote ...

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Historically in the past four national elections, whichever GOP candidate that won South Carolina won the GOP nomination for that year.

South Carolina

Republican Primary - 26.08% REPORTING
Primary is today


CANDIDATES
VOTES
% OF VOTE

• ✔ Newt Gingrich (R)
  60,572
  41%
• Mitt Romney (R)
  39,261
  26%
• Rick Santorum (R)
  26,672
  18%
• Ron Paul (R)
  19,590
  13%
• Herman Cain (R)
  1,266
  1%

http://news.yahoo.com/

RELATED

http://www.alipac.us/f12/rick-santor...rimary-248828/

Gingrich is a fat version of McCain, with a whole plane full of carry on baggage! Yay! "Go! Newt!"

RELATED

http://www.alipac.us/f12/herman-cain-5th-s-c-248831/

Originally Posted by stevetheroofer

Gingrich is a fat version of McCain, with a whole plane full of carry on baggage! Yay! "Go! Newt!"

Well said, Steve!!!

Mark my words well ALIPACers, if the Repubs nominate Newt, just like with McAmnesty, we are guaranteed a Nobama win in the general election.

That will be a sad day for the USA. There's no way this nation will recover from four more years of that Marxist's policies, especially if he's emboldened by not having to run for re-election. He'll go even more radically left than he is now and the USA will go over a tipping point from which we can't recover.

.

South Carolina

Republican Primary - 100.00% REPORTING

Primary is today

CANDIDATES
VOTES
% OF VOTE

✔ Newt Gingrich (R)
243,398
40%

Mitt Romney (R)
167,957
28%

Rick Santorum (R)
102,213
17%

Ron Paul (R)
78,093
13%

Herman Cain (R)
6,326
1%

Rick Perry (R)
2,549
0%

Jon Huntsman (R)
1,188
0%

Michele Bachmann (R)
496
0%

Gary Johnson (R)
213
0%
.
http://news.yahoo.com/