Final Round Set for Parties in South Carolina House Race

María Belén Chapur’s appearance was a surprise, especially to leaders in the national Republican Party. It might not have been the most strategic move in Mr. Sanford’s attempt at a political comeback. Still, it was how Mr. Sanford wanted it.

Whether national Republican leaders will decide that the former governor is putting the seat in jeopardy and decide to lend more support is only one question in a race that has already been filled with political and personal drama. After defeating 15 other candidates in a primary race and winning a runoff on Tuesday, Mr. Sanford faces Elizabeth Colbert Busch, a Democrat with enough celebrity appeal and financial backing to change what could have been an easy victory in the special election on May 7 into a real battle.

“Everybody is really concerned because she’s not a bad-looking lady, she is a good speaker and she’s got some money,” said Jerry Hallman, chairman of the Beaufort County Republican Party. “In politics, those things are important.”

The seat became vacant after Senator Jim DeMint announced in December that he was stepping down to take over the Heritage Foundation. Gov. Nikki R. Haley appointed Representative Tim Scott to replace him, opening up the Congressional seat that Mr. Sanford held before he became governor.

Gender, fidelity and experience are already shaping up as themes in the district, which includes Charleston, Hilton Head and some Low Country farmland. Mr. Sanford began his campaign as a kind of apology tour, explaining he had learned much about humility after leaving the governor’s office in 2011, having lied about a trip to Argentina to visit Ms. Chapur. Mr. Sanford said he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. Although he finished his term, he faced ethics fines, censure by his party and divorce from his wife of 21 years, Jenny.

Now, he has gone on the offensive, portraying himself as a seasoned fiscal hawk in a race against a political neophyte whose most notable credential is her celebrity family. Ms. Colbert Busch’s younger brother is the comedian Stephen Colbert, who has been active in her campaign.

Already the national Republican Party, though not committing to using heavy artillery in the race, is painting Ms. Colbert Busch as too liberal for a district that voted for Mitt Romney in the presidential primary. (Newt Gingrich won the state over all.)

“So far, Elizabeth Colbert Busch has yet to answer any real questions about why she supports President Obama’s failed policies,” said Katie Prill, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “She might be the gem of the Beltway and Hollywood liberals, but South Carolinians are going to be sorely disappointed the more they learn about her.”

Ms. Colbert Busch is leaning on her years as a maritime executive and at Clemson University, where she is leading an effort to develop the state’s wind power industry. She is also relying on several women in Congress, among them Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, the New York Democrat, who began using Twitter to seek donations to the campaign.

Democratic leaders realize the race must be run without error, with special attention paid to women and moderate Republicans who remember Mr. Sanford’s rocky relationship with the Legislature when he was in office and, of course, his affair.

But the national organization probably won’t make a move until the other side does.

“This is a Republican seat in a Republican district, so we’ll wait and see what the Republicans do,” said Jesse Ferguson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Hesaid national Republican organization might not be eager to get involved.

“Having Mark Sanford as the face of the party is probably not the best thing for a party trying to rehabilitate itself with women voters,” he said.

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South Dakota's Thune is on short list for vice president

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – John Thune has been a favorite in Republican circles for almost a decade. In the next few months, the senator from South Dakota could be taking that notoriety national.

By Stephen J. Boitano, GANNETT

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., speaks with high school students during their visit to the Capitol Thursday.

By Stephen J. Boitano, GANNETT

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., speaks with high school students during their visit to the Capitol Thursday.

Now in his second term in the Senate, what happens in the coming months could give the onetime high school basketball star from Murdo a title everyone would recognize. For instance:

• How does Vice President Thune sound? If Mitt Romney likes it — and some say he might — then Thune could follow in the footsteps of Joe Biden, Dick Cheney and Al Gore.

• What about Senate Majority Leader Thune? The man Thune beat in 2004, Tom Daschle, once held this position. And while Thune might be years away from following suit, he could be just one step away by Christmas.

• And either path, or others entirely, could set the stage for Thune to capture the most significant title of them all: Mr. President.

Or maybe not. There's plenty of competition among other talented politicians for all these positions.

Nevertheless, Thune's political talents have helped him him rise from a conservative hero after defeating Daschle, through a series of leadership roles in the Senate, to flirtation with a presidential run last year. Now, after building strong relationships with both his Senate peers and Romney, whom Thune endorsed early on in this campaign, the South Dakotan is at a crossroads with multiple paths leading to national prominence.

For his part, Thune insists he's taking things day by day and not pursuing the job of vice president or anything else. But unlike some politicians, Thune hasn't ruled anything out, either.

"I made a decision that the difference I can make is in the Senate, but I don't think you ever rule out options and opportunities to serve your country," Thune said Friday in Sioux Falls. "I'm not ever going to close the door if an opportunity to serve my country comes along."

The most immediate possibility is that Thune could be the Republican nominee for vice president. Coming from a small, safely Republican state such as South Dakota, no one's calling Thune a favorite. But experts say he's in the conversation.

"I'd say he's a long shot to be the nominee, but then look at the history of vice presidential candidates. Quite a number of long shots have been picked," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. "Anything can happen."

Robert Costa, a reporter with the conservative National Review magazine, has covered Thune and Republican politics for several years. He's talked to Romney advisers who say Thune might be just what the former Massachusetts governor needs in a running mate.

"From everything I hear, Romney wants to pick someone who's low-key, respected, has Washington experience and comes from the Midwest," Costa said — all factors, he added, that apply to Thune.

Others considered to be on Romney's short list: Sens. Marco Rubio, Fla., and Rob Portman, Ohio; Rep. Paul Ryan, Wis., and N.J. Gov. Chris Christie.

Thune's background and experience aren't the only assets he might bring to a national ticket. He seems to be a political natural, said Jon Schaff, a professor of political science at Northern State University in Aberdeen. He easily relates to people and speaks well extemporaneously.

Thune's style of speaking, in particular, could make him a valuable asset on the campaign trail.

"He's very comfortable about bringing the Republican message … in a way that isn't ham-fisted," Schaff said. "He's got a way of speaking that people who weren't necessarily with the Republican Party will listen to Thune and give him the time of day, because he can present his arguments in a way that appear to be non-ideological."

Thune's not a "fire and brimstone" Republican like Reps. Michele Bachmann and Allen West, Schaff said.

But not everyone agrees with that, or about Thune's strengths as a communicator who can appeal to moderates.

"John Thune, by his nature and by the positions he's taken, he's not the one you go to to look for solutions," said Ben Nesselhuf, chairman of the South Dakota Democratic Party. "He's one you go to to look for the Republican position and talking points. He doesn't know what the word compromise means."

Nesselhuf said he would advise national Democrats to attack Thune for his Washington ties.

"I think most South Dakotans would agree that's what's wrong with Washington -- too many people unwilling to look for solutions," he said.

Indeed, Thune's Washington experience might be both an asset and a liability, Costa said.

"In an anti-Washington climate … there's a sense from many voters of 'throw them all out.' Thune's Washington experience, though helpful to a president, could be a drawback to voters who might like to see more outsiders in Washington," Costa said.

Thune disputes Nesselhuf's charge that he doesn't compromise, citing his work with Democratic senators on legislation dealing with agriculture, trade, transportation and others.

"Yes, I'm very principled when it comes to my party and the things I believe in, but I also understand that I'm elected to get things done," Thune said. "I don't ever look at compromising my values and my principles, but I certainly on a tactical level understand that you need to work with people who have a different point of view … find common ground and consensus."

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., praised Thune as someone he can work with even though they come from different political backgrounds.

"We're dealing with a tough economy and a jobs shortage, and even if we don't always agree, John wants to work together to overcome our nation's challenges," Baucus said in an e-mailed statement.

One of Thune's biggest strengths as a potential vice presidential pick could be something that others might call a weakness: He's not very exciting. After the last Republican vice presidential pick, then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, became controversial, Schaff said Romney might want to pick a less contentious running mate.

"Picking your vice presidential candidate, you take a Hippocratic Oath: First, do no harm," Schaff said.

With considerable numbers of Americans unhappy with President Barack Obama's handling of the economy, Sabato said, many Republicans think they should pick noncontroversial candidates who will keep the focus on Obama rather than distracting attention with their own antics.

"Thune is not controversial," Sabato said. "He's seen as acceptable, if bland."

When told that some people describe him as something less than exciting, Thune laughed.

"I never really think of myself as bland, but I guess it's maybe that Scandanavian heritage," Thune said. "I don't ever think that necessarily bland is a bad thing. I suppose I wish I were more exciting, but sometimes you are who you are, and you have to be comfortable with that and not try to be something you aren't."

There still are plenty of factors weighing against Thune's chances of being Romney's running mate. Many other potential candidates can bring Thune's strengths to the ticket, plus represent bigger or more closely divided states.

"In what looks to be a close election, Romney is likely to pick someone who brings a little more electorally to the table," Schaff said.

That makes sense to some political observers, who say the more likely route to power for Thune is in his current job of senator.

"Politically speaking, I think Thune has a much better chance of being one day Senate majority leader than president of the United States," Costa said.

Thune currently is the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. It's the third-highest position among Senate Republicans, behind only the majority or minority leader and the whip or assistant floor leader.

The No. 2 spot of Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., is opening up this fall. Thune is one of a handful of senators who might have the support it would take to move up.

Thune's climb up the leadership ladder started in 2006, about a year after he took office. That's when he was appointed chief deputy whip, an assistant to the No. 2-ranked party leader.

By taking a leadership position, Thune made a choice that he could get more done as part of Senate leadership than by trying to become the chair of a powerful committee -- the two traditional paths senators can take as they accumulate seniority and influence in the Senate.

"I'm sure what John Thune thinks it means with constituents is he's able to bring their issues to the highest level in the party," Schaff said. "A potential side effect, of course, that we saw with Tom Daschle is the further you move up leadership, the more you're responding to the national needs of the party and not so much the local needs of your constituency."

Sabato predicted Thune's popularity in South Dakota could give him the longevity needed to rise to the top of the Senate, presuming he doesn't leave Congress for another position.

"He's relatively young in Senate terms," Sabato said. "With the electoral security he has in South Dakota, he could be there for as long as he wants."

And while some powerful South Dakota senators have suffered defeat after being seen to care more about Washington, D.C., than their home state, Schaff said Thune has taken care to protect against that. "He's been a fairly constant presence back in the state," Schaff said. "He hasn't let the state go."

Thune's friends and family say he hasn't let his South Dakota roots go, either.

"I think he's the same person he always was," said Frank Brost, who was living in and near Murdo as Thune was growing up there, and later worked with him in Pierre under Gov. George S. Mickelson. "If there's any person Washington can't screw up, it's John Thune."

If selected as Romney's vice presidential candidate, Thune said he would present himself to the country as a principled man who hasn't strayed from his South Dakota upringing.

"I try to be authentic and very much a down-to-earth person," Thune said. "I don't think I've ever gotten away from my roots."

Critics point to Thune's rapid rise to prominence in Washington and say that reflects ambition rather than "down-to-earth."

"He's definitely trying to create a national name for himself," Nesselhuf said. "I think anybody who's watched his career would say that from day one, that's the way he operates — looking for the next step up."

Thune, in contrast, said he's not looking for anything other than opportunities to serve the country. "Growing up I never thought I'd be doing any of this in the first place."

Despite that the next few years could put Thune in a position to take the biggest step up a politician can make. Last year he stayed out of the race for president when he decided he wasn't ready to make that huge commitment. At the time, he said he wanted to focus on his work in the Senate. But his presidential dreams might not be finished. He still will be young enough to run for president in 2016, 2020 and possibly beyond.

The events of the coming months could give him a head start if he still aspires to the Oval Office.

"If Thune is picked, and Romney loses, it would make Thune an automatic contender for the nomination in 2016," Costa said. "Even if he's not picked, you're going to still hear about Thune in the 2016 conversation if Romney loses."

Sabato cautioned that a future run for president could be tough for Thune.

"Everybody and his brother and sister will be running if Romney loses," he said.

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Gingrich labors in bid to prove comeback in South

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) — It was an ominous introduction for Republican Newt Gingrich, whose future as a presidential candidate rests in Mississippi and Alabama.

"I can tell you right now, he's tired. He needs your prayers," former state Sen. Lee Yancey told a half-full Jackson hotel ballroom before the former House speaker took the stage.

Gingrich's aides have said the candidate needs to win Alabama and Mississippi Tuesday to justify staying in the race. He scrapped weekend plans to campaign in Kansas ahead of the Saturday caucuses to stay in the South, his adopted home and the only place he's won in the 2012 campaign.

"I want your help next Tuesday so we can win the Republican nomination," Gingrich flatly told the group, his voice a little rough.

What few in the crowd of about 100 knew is that the night before, Gingrich took some time to enjoy himself. He shed his jacket and tie, sipped some wine and danced with his wife, Callista, in the bar, a carefree respite with staff that ran into the early hours of Thursday.

Gingrich was on time for his 9 a.m. appearance on his first day under Secret Service protection, adding dozens of new faces and a buzz of activity around his events. But the former college professor known for speeches resembling lectures drifted further afield from his usual contrast with President Barack Obama.

Gingrich seemed more focused on amusing his audience than pressing them for their votes.

He paused early in his remarks to comment on the thick accents of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, which drew laughs.

He took his routine mocking of Obama's support for exploring the energy possibilities of algae and limits on drilling — a regular laugh line for Gingrich — further than usual.

And, explaining his interpretation of the Declaration of Independence's "pursuit of happiness" passage, he went for laughs again.

"There's no provision for happiness stamps for the under-happy," Gingrich quipped.

Jackson Republican Bill Wolfson stood in line for a handshake and a picture, planning to vote for Gingrich Tuesday.

But Wolfson doubted Gingrich would win the nomination. "I'm afraid he won't," the retired architect said. "We might get Romney, but he's not going to do the job Newt could."

Despite his liberated air, Gingrich was keeping up a rigorous schedule on Thursday and Friday, with events planned from the far northwest corner of Mississippi to Gulfport on the Gulf Coast before plowing back into Alabama on Saturday.

And later Thursday, in Tupelo, the confidence of earlier in the week, when he predicted another comeback, was creeping back.

"This race has been a roller coaster, up and down. I believe with your help next Tuesday when we win here and we win in Alabama we'll be back up again."

Rival Rick Santorum, who won Tennessee, was also campaigning in the South. The former Pennsylvania senator drew twice the crowd in Jackson that Gingrich did the night before, and Santorum was an hour late.

The day brought another call from a top Santorum supporter for Gingrich to quit the race to help conservatives consolidate behind one candidate — Santorum.

Gary Bauer, a prominent social conservative who has endorsed Santorum, said Gingrich could best help the conservative cause by stepping aside.

"There is great admiration for Newt Gingrich's contributions to conservatism, as well as his debating abilities," Bauer said in a statement. "But the overwhelming sentiment was that he could most help the conservative cause by standing with Santorum so that voters have a clear choice in the remaining primaries."

Although Gingrich is airing television ads promoting his plan to push gas prices down to $2.50, his rivals are more heavily invested. A political action committee supporting Santorum announced Thursday it was spending $600,000 on television ads in Mississippi and Alabama.

Alabama polls show Gingrich trailing Santorum and Romney.

Romney planned to campaign in Mississippi Thursday evening.

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Santorum Says Campaign is 'Burning Through Our Savings'; SuperPAC Spends in South

PELHAM, Alabama-Rick Santorum asked the Alabama crowd here to deliver him a win in this state Tuesday and pitched to them he's a better choice than either of his opponents because of his working class background and blue collar roots.

"I've basically given up all my sources of income almost a year ago. We're burning through our savings," Santorum said to the enthusiastic crowd at a conference center. "People say, 'Well did you ever think you'd get this long and have to worry about all the bills you'd have to pay? Well, I was praying I'd get this long, now I have to pray we can somehow or another stretch the budget a little bit more."

He continued the theme of a candidate who is more in touch with his supporters and the electorate because he doesn't have the fortune of his opponents or other politicians. "We need a candidate who can go out and deliver a message when it comes to energy who maybe doesn't own oil wells, but his grandfather was a coal miner so I was in the energy industry too," Santorum said to the crowd of about 200. It wasn't clear who he was referring to whether it be former President George W. Bush, whose family was in the oil business or just trying to portray himself as the hardscrabble underdog to Mitt Romney's wealth. The campaign did not return requests for clarification. According to his tax returns, Santorum made about one million dollars last year.

Despite the former Pennsylvania senator's need for Newt Gingrich to abandon his bid-an aide to the former House Speaker said this week Mississippi and Alabama were must wins-he hardly mentioned Gingrich and focused almost completely on President Barack Obama and Romney.

He told voters they need a nominee "who can go out in the general election and not just spend millions and millions of dollars trying to beat up the other person" and even insinuated the press favored the former Massachusetts governor because he will not be able to defeat Obama.

"Every time we've nominated a moderate in the last 30 or 40 years, we lost. Every time so now you know why the media's for him," Santorum said, referring to Romney. "They don't want him to win. You know who they want to win."

Santorum's superPAC "The Red, White, and Blue Fund" announced Thursday they were running a negative ad jabbing both Romney and Gingrich in Mississippi and Alabama. They also called for Gingrich to get out of the race Wednesday to try and consolidate the more conservative electorate around one of the GOP candidates. The fund says the ad buy is "well over half a million dollars."

If Santorum beats Gingrich here and in Mississippi it could very well be a fatal blow to the speaker's candidacy, although Gingrich has stressed he is going all the way to the convention. "If you elect, here in Alabama, and I'll tell you what, a conservative will be nominated by the Republican party in the next few months. And if a conservative is nominated, we will win the general election," Santorum said.

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"Morning, y'all." Romney seeks breakthrough in South

JACKSON, Mississippi (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is laying it on as thick as a syrupy Southern drawl as he tries to break through in the South, a region that has been unkind to him in the past and may soon turn its back on him again.

"Morning, ya'll," Romney told a campaign rally on Friday in Jackson, Mississippi. "I got started this morning right with a biscuit and some cheesy grits."

The former Massachusetts governor is admittedly the underdog in Mississippi and Alabama, two stalwarts of the Old South where Republicans vote in primaries on Tuesday to decide which candidate they think should challenge Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 6 election.

Romney thus far been unable to make a breakthrough in the heart of Republican conservatism. Despite a huge effort, he was trounced by Newt Gingrich in South Carolina in January. He came in second on Tuesday to Gingrich in Georgia and lost Tennessee to chief rival Rick Santorum.

The only southern states he has won are Virginia, where Texas Congressman Ron Paul was only other candidate on the ballot, and Florida where his campaign outspent rivals on ads.

"I realize it's a bit of an away game," Romney told Birmingham radio state WAPI on Thursday, referring to his chances in the South.

His troubles in the South reflect lingering suspicions about the depth of his conservative views. As a former governor of a heavily Democratic state he is seen as more of a moderate.

His Mormon faith is also seen as a factor in the Bible Belt.

"I think religion should have no part in today's politics, but it does," said Cheryl Patton, who attended Romney's Jackson event and said she likes Romney's business experience and family values. "He seems mellow and kind."

Bob Hardin, also at the Jackson event, thinks Romney is the best Republican to take the fight against Obama, but believes his vast wealth may also be a factor.

"Unfortunately he carries with him the baggage of success," which doesn't resonate with a large part of the public today. As a free market capitalist, I don't think it should, but it does," he said.

LIKELY TO LOSE PRIMARIES

Romney has struggled to connect with everyday Americans throughout his 2012 campaign. Thus his "I like grits" comment was intended to ingratiate himself with the back-slapping South, where biscuits and grits are a breakfast staple.

As Romney campaigns this week in Mississippi and Alabama, he and his advisers are under no illusions that he could win here, but would love to be surprised.

Romney's camp is more concerned about making sure he has a good enough finish to win some of the 1,144 delegates needed for the Republican nomination.

"We are successfully executing against our plan, even when we don't come in first," said senior Romney aide Eric Fehrnstrom.

In fact Romney is engaged in a war of attrition with his rivals, less concerned about winning states and more intent on winning delegates.

He has more than 400 delegates now, a total that is double his nearest competitor, Santorum.

"We're not going to win either Alabama or Mississippi," said a senior Romney adviser. "But we'll pick up delegates in both places."

The Romney campaign is happy to watch Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, and former House of Representatives Speaker Gingrich, who represented a Georgia district, fight it out in the South.

Romney is steering clear of a Monday candidates' forum in Birmingham that both Santorum and Gingrich plan to attend.

"Romney just needs to stand aside and let Santorum and Gingrich beat each other up," said Merle Black, a political science professor at Emory University in Atlanta.

An encouraging sign for Romney was the endorsement of his campaign by Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, yet another signal that the party establishment is warming to the idea of Romney as the ultimate nominee.

Phil Neville, who attended the Jackson event, said the size of the crowd jammed into a building at the Mississippi Farmer's Market suggested to him the opinion of Romney is changing.

"I think this crowd is evidence that people feel the most important is to beat Obama," said Neville. "Whatever faults Romney may have that people complain about, they all want the man with the best chance to beat Obama, and that person is Romney."

Romney's forces are pouring resources into the two states to try to raise questions about Santorum, whose victories in Tennessee and Oklahoma on March 6 "Super Tuesday" have solidified his status as the main conservative alternative to Romney.

Restore our Future, the Super PAC supporting Romney, has been on the air in Alabama and Mississippi with anti-Santorum ads for days, spending nearly $3 million.

Romney is driving home his message that he would focus on job creation, cutting government red tape, reducing deficits and overhauling sacrosanct entitlement programs for the poor and elderly to try to restore America's economic might.

"We have to have a fundamental restructuring of our government, which is to take out the scale and power of the federal government and return it to the people and the states," he said in Jackson.

Republican pollster Whit Ayres said the South wants to hear how the economy will rebound just as much as the rest of the country.

"The message of job creation and fiscal responsibility will play extremely well. The South is hurting every bit as much as the rest of the country with this anemic recovery and Southern states tend to be fiscally responsible states," he said.

Romney's message is more crisp than during his campaign in South Carolina, where his work as a private equity executive for Bain Capital became a distraction, along with his refusal to release his tax records. He later released his tax records and his work for Bain has faded as an issue.

Romney has been full of facts and figures about his proposals for a 20 percent cut in income taxes across the board, deficit reduction and entitlement overhaul. But he has not explained in plain English how these changes would relate to the average American.

"Romney needs to make sure that people understand clearly how his economic plan, cutting taxes, shrinking government and entitlement reform, impacts businesses large and small," said Jim Dyke, a South Carolina-based Republican strategist.

(Editing by Alistair Bell and Vicki Allen)

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2012 GOP race: Is the South irrelevant?

Dixie is rejecting frontrunner Mitt Romney, who may become the nominee in spite of the South, not because of it With Super Tuesday behind them, the Republican presidential candidates are gearing up for potentially critical contests in Alabama and Mississippi on March 13. For decades, the rule of thumb for Republican hopefuls has been: You have to win the South to bag the party's nomination. But this year, national frontrunner Mitt Romney, who has roots in the Midwest and Northeast, has failed to connect with Southern voters. He even conceded that Tuesday's Deep South votes will be "a bit of an away game" for him. And yet, because of his string of wins elsewhere, Romney is the strong favorite to emerge as the GOP nominee. Has the South lost its influence?

The South has become "irrelevant": In election after election, the GOP nominee has "minted his crown in South Carolina," says David Weigel at Slate. But this year, the Palmetto State picked Newt Gingrich, who almost certainly won't be the nominee. Meanwhile, Romney — the almost certain nominee embraced by the GOP mainstream — hasn't come within 9 percent of winning a Southern state. You'd have to travel "far, far back in time to find another Republican primary where the South was this irrelevant."
"Down and out in the Deep South"

The South is still critical: Tuesday's "challenging" Southern primaries are the "biggest test" yet for Romney, says Holly Bailey at Yahoo. And while Team Romney argues that it's "nearly impossible" for Santorum to catch the frontrunner nationally, more losses in the South would hurt Romney's ongoing attempt "to woo the party's conservative base," "prolong the primary," "limit Romney's ability to establish momentum," and damage his aura of inevitability. Clearly, the South matters a great deal.
"Mitt Romney faces challenging primaries in Mississippi and Alabama"

Of course the South matters... in November: The South remains "a critical building block for any winning GOP coalition in the fall," says Nia-Malika Henderson at The Washington Post. But Romney has to "thread the needle." If he embraces "extreme" stands on abortion and immigration, he might just win over reluctant Southern conservatives. But doing so could make him toxic to independents in a matchup with President Obama.
"Deep South primaries offer little hope for Romney, opportunity for Santorum"

SEE MORE: Mini-Mitt's massive Super Tuesday challenge

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Newt Gingrich Shakes Up Things With South Carolina Win (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | What a day for South Carolina. Every four years presidential hopefuls try their hardest to win the first in the South primary because every Republican candidate that has gone on to win the White House has won the South Carolina primary initially. If you find yourself in South Carolina during this time you will hear one phrase repeatedly: South Carolina picks presidents.

Armed with an array of television ads, various endorsements and thousands of miles traveled, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul fought for the endorsement and delegates of the Palmetto State. While the candidates strategy included a few jabs at each other, they were unified in the belief that President Barack Obama needed to lose his job and that push would be reaffirmed in a state suffering from a 9.9 percent unemployment rate. In a complete rebuttal of the Republican establishment, Gingrich won the Palmetto State, according to the New York Times.

While pundits and media hosts responded to his win as a surprise, voters contributed Gingrich's win to his debate performance, winability and being the conservative alternative to Romney. What is remarkable is Gingrich won the counties where he was projected to come in second and third -- mainly on the coast. He carried the powerful Evangelical, military and Catholic vote.

Romney's loss is contributed to voters' concerns about Romneycare and his moderate-leaning record. Rick Santorum came in third and Ron Paul at a distant fourth. For Santorum and Paul, their respective placing is not as big of a blow as it is to the Romney camp.

South Carolina's primary has added a new dimension to the candidates campaign. This primary shows there is no clear Republican nominee and that we are in for a long primary season.

In Romney's own words, "This debate is getting even more interesting." Gingrich's win is a forthright message to the GOP establishment. Conservatives aren't happy and the GOP needs to stop bending to the whims of the fringe elite concerning social issues, immigration and fiscal policy.

The Republicans have work to do, but the Obama campaign will now have to work even harder. Instead of having time to prepare for one front-runner candidate, President Barack Obama will have to prepare for two polar opposite candidates. I close with my favorite quote of the night. After the primary Santorum said, "Three states, three winners, what a great country."

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Gingrich Wins the South Carolina Primary (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | The results were overwhelming for Newt Gingrich in the South Carolina primary, according to the New York Times. The people of South Carolina rallied around the American flag, showing they wanted to take America back to a direction of patriotism that our forefathers once dreamed it could be, not toward a socialized nation like the Europeans have, that just is not America. Gingrich won 40 percent of the votes and Mitt Romney received 27 percent, while Rick Santorum came in third with 17 percent and Ron Paul with 10 percent.

Some in the media said, with an ex-wife coming out against the former speaker, he never stood a chance with women voters. He received a whopping 58 percent in favor when a poll where women were asked if they let a past infidelity change their decision about the former Speaker of the House. Gingrich showed America that he stands for America, and it shows on every face of every American who voted for the man.

Many in the media are also saying Romney stumbled when he was flip-flopping on his tax issues. When asked when he will release his tax statement for 2010, he said he did not know or he will or he won't. People are suspect when they think someone has something to hide. All politicians should be an open book or else, they will fall by the wayside fast.

The people of South Carolina have spoken. Many said they did not care about problems that happened with candidates years ago, they are concerned with now. The voters polled at various precincts were not concerned with domestic rhetoric with politicians personal lives or financial concerns, but were concerned with the direction of this country.

The voter turnout was higher than 2008 by at least 100,000 votes, which is a wonderful thing. It shows Americans are doing their civic duty and using their rights as Americans. The feeling this time was a patriotic one by most of the voters.

The amount of cheering and flag waving I have seen is addictive as patriotism is alive and well in the South. It is off to the Sunshine State in 10 days to see who comes out ahead. We have a long way to go in this, but the infectious pride of being American is spreading thanks to the final four.

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What You Missed While Not Watching the Last South Carolina GOP Debate (Time.com)

0 minutes. The CNN spaceship is set to launch, with blue gels on the lights that give the auditorium an alien aquarium vibe. It's the 17th GOP debate of 2012 cycle. Roll the intro montage: "Welcome to the South, the heart of the Republican Party," says the hokey disembodied voice, doing his best imitation of a Stephen Colbert send up, "where tradition lives and values matter." What? Do Iowa and New Hampshire not care about tradition and values? Nonsense. But we push on. We are veterans. We have learned to let the silly slide.

2 minutes. Each candidate gets a shout out. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is "the frontrunner." Texas Rep. Ron Paul is "the insurgent." Rick Santorum has "renewed momentum," though recent polls show it is in the wrong direction. Newt Gingrich is "on the rise." Then each of the men take the stage with their variation of a high school dweeb strut. Romney is third, and the most talkative. "Hi guys," he says to the others. "Newt," he says shaking Gingrich's hand. "Ha ha," he says, because perhaps it is funny to be shaking Gingrich's hand. "And then there were four," he adds, because that is all that remain. (See "What You Missed While Not Watching the Final Iowa Debate.")

5 minutes. CNN pomp is unending, as usual. After Twitter and Facebook mentions, some military cadets sing the national anthem. The crowd turns to a flat-screen projection of Old Glory. "That was fabulous. Absolutely fabulous," CNN host John King says afterward. One day the debate will start. Then he asks the candidates to make short opening statements. For those who speak Republican, this means brag about your brood.

7 minutes. Santorum begins, noting his "wife Karen and our seven children." He also thanks Iowa "for a little delayed but most welcome victory there." Romney beats Santorum, not in Iowa, but in brood count. "I'm married now 42 years. I have five sons, five daughters-in-law, 16 grandkids, and they're the joy of my life." The married-a-long-time thing is a knock on thrice-married Gingrich, though Romney would probably swear to his grave that this is not true. Gingrich eschews brood stats for geographic pandering. "As a Georgian, it feels good to be back at home in the South," he says. Paul mentions that he has been elected to Congress 12 times, 30 years as an obstetrician, and "I'm the only U.S. veteran on this stage tonight." (See "What You Missed While Not Watching the GOP National-Security Debate.")

9 minutes. Finally a question, and it's a doozy. Would Gingrich like to respond to his second wife's claim that he wanted an open marriage more than a decade ago? "No, but I will," he says, looking ornery. The crowd likes his attitude. "I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that." The crowd is on its feet applauding. "To take an ex-wife and make it two days before the primary a significant question for a presidential campaign is as close to despicable as anything I can imagine." The place is going nuts. Gingrich goes on for a while. Then he adds, as if it no longer matters, "The story is false."

11 minutes. Gingrich is still going. "I am tired of the elite media protecting Barack Obama by attacking Republicans." A second standing ovation. If being President only required an ability to rile the public into rage against the press, America wouldn't need an election. There would be a coronation.

12 minutes. King asks Santorum if this open marriage/mistress stuff is an issue. Santorum says yes, as softly as he can. "These are issues of our lives and what we did in our lives," he says. "They are issues of character for people to consider."

13 minutes. Romney won't go there. "John, let's get on to the real issues is all I've got to say." The crowd likes that too.

14 minutes. Paul uses his turn at the Gingrich mistress plate to say media corporations are bad. "What about the corporations that run the media?" he asks, before joining in the media's attack by adding apropos of nothing in particular that he has been married 54 years.

15 minutes. New topic. Unemployment. Name three things you would do to help reduce it. Paul says "sound currency," less regulations and near-zero income taxes. Gingrich says repeal Dodd-Frank, increase domestic oil and gas exploration, and radically overhaul the Corps of Engineers.

18 minutes. King follows up by asking Gingrich to attack Romney for his work at Bain Capital. Gingrich indulges, describing "Bain Capital's model, which was to take over a company and dramatically leverage it, leave it with a great deal of debt, made it less likely to survive."

19 minutes. Romney is asked to respond, and attacks Obama. "You've got to stop the spread of crony capitalism. He gives General Motors to the UAW. He takes $500 million and sticks it into Solyndra. He -- he stacks the labor stooges on the NLRB so they can say no to Boeing and take care of their friends in the labor movement," he says. The crowd rewards the Obama bashing with applause.

20 minutes. King persists on Bain, asking Romney to explain how he comes up with the figure of 120,000 jobs created at the firm. Romney says that is what four companies he started now employ. "I'm someone who believes in free enterprise," he continues. "I think Adam Smith was right. And I'm going to stand and defend capitalism across this country, throughout this campaign." Then he turns it up a notch. "I know we're going to get hit hard from President Obama, but we're going to stuff it down his throat and point out it is capitalism and freedom that makes America strong." The foie gras attack.

22 minutes. Santorum distinguishes between regular capitalism and the "high finance" of Romney. "We need a party that just doesn't talk about high finance and cutting corporate taxes or cutting the top tax rates," Santorum says. "We need to talk about how we're going to put men and women in this country, who built this country, back to work in this country in the manufacturing sector of our economy." He's the Joe Biden of the GOP. Pure Scranton.

24 minutes. Talk about the challenges faced by returning military veterans. Everyone on stage is concerned. Paul says he worries about the high rate of suicide. Santorum says there should be job preferences. Romney says he wants the states to do much of the work. Gingrich says cut taxes and help veterans with a program like the G.I. Bill after World War II.

31 minutes. Question on ObamaCare. Romney says repeal it and replace it with something "like a market, a consumer market, as opposed to have it run like Amtrak and the post office." This is not an accurate description of how ObamaCare works, but let it slide. Move on. Gingrich says he'd "repeal all of it because I so deeply distrust the congressional staffs that I would not want them to be able to pick and choose which things they cut." By this logic, congressional staff would never get to do any legislating. But let it slide. Move on. (See "What You Missed While Not Watching the CNBC 'Oops' Republican Debate.")

35 minutes. Santorum uses this opportunity to attack both Romney and Gingrich for once supporting the individual mandate in ObamaCare. He calls Romney's health reforms in Massachusetts "an abject disaster." Romney objects. "First of all, the system in my state is not a government-run system," he says. This is true, but it is kind of funny to hear Romney say it, since he just mischaracterized ObamaCare as a "government-run system." Let it slide. Move on.

39 minutes. They go back and forth for a while, covering old ground. At one point, Romney does another "Ha ha," to express condescension at the attacks on him. When it comes around to Gingrich, he changes the subject by saying, again, that he wants 3-hour debates with Obama. "I will let him use a teleprompter. I would just rely on knowledge. We'll do fine." A real crowd-pleaser that Gingrich.

42 minutes. After more needling from Santorum, Gingrich admits he was wrong about the individual mandate.

43 minutes. Paul finally gets a chance to talk again. He says government should not be involved in medicine. Then he pivots to a discussion about why U.S. military bases overseas are bad, as are recent military adventures.

45 minutes. That brings us to the first break. Before cutting to commercial, King says Gingrich has released his tax returns while the candidates have been on stage. Nice trick. Can we expect gimics like this in future debates?

49 minutes. We're back. King promptly gets Gingrich and Santorum fighting again. "Grandiosity has never been a problem with Newt Gingrich," Santorum says. "I don't want a nominee that I have to worry about going out and looking at the paper the next day and worrying about what he's going to say next." That is a line taken almost word-for-word from the Romney campaign. Then Santorum says he finished ahead of Gingrich in New Hampshire, which is not true. Gingrich got 49 more votes. Nonetheless, Santorum accuses Gingrich of having "not cogent thoughts."

53 minutes. Gingrich responds by listing pretty much everything good that happened during his two decade run in the U.S. House. Then he says, "I think grandiose thoughts. This is a grandiose country of big people doing big things." Applause of course. More tit for tat follows. But no more fancy words like grandiose.

56 minutes. Romney tries to chime in by saying that this squabbling just shows he's the outsider who can fix Washington. But Romney does it really awkwardly, describing himself as someone "who's lived in the real streets of America." Not clear if he is referring to the old family mansion in Belmont, Mass., or the beach house in La Jolla, Calif., or the Deer Valley, Utah, lodge he once owned. Or maybe another "real street" he has yet to disclose. In the middle of the answer, Romney gets lost. Then he finds his way, and attacks Gingrich for not really having as much to do with Ronald Reagan as he claims. "You're mentioned once in Ronald Reagan's diary," Romney says.

58 minutes. Gingrich shoots back. "You did very well under the rules that we created to make it easier for entrepreneurs to go out and do things," he says to Romney. "I don't recall a single day saying, 'Oh, thank heavens Washington is there for me,'" Romney responds.

59 minutes. Question for Paul. Will he release his tax returns? "I'd probably be embarrassed to put my financial statement up against their income," he jokes of the others on the stage.

60 minutes. Romney cleans up his big mistake from the last debate, and says he will release his tax returns in April. Then, as he always does when uncomfortable, he attacks Obama. "You've got a President who's played 90 rounds of golf while there are 25 million Americans out of work," Romney says.

63 minutes. Santorum says he will release his returns as soon as he gets home and prints them off his computer.

64 minutes. King asks Romney if he will release 12 years of his tax returns, like his father George Romney did when he ran in 1968. Romney smiles at the mention of his father, but doesn't answer the question. "Maybe," he says, as the crowd starts to boo. "You know, I don't know how many years I'll release."

66 minutes. King asks a question premised on the fact that the best example of American corporate success at the moment, Apple Inc., has 500,000 employees in China and much fewer in the United States. This allows Santorum to get another Joe Biden riff going about revitalizing American manufacturing. Paul sees the question as an opportunity to deliver an economics lesson on the benefits of trade. Then Paul and Santorum bicker about Santorum's one-time aversion to a national right-to-work bill.

71 minutes. King asks a question about the recent bills in Congress that would put new restrictions on websites to protect intellectual property. He also discloses that CNN's parent company, Time Warner, which is also TIME's parent company, is a big supporter of these bills. The mention of the corporate monster responsible for The Hangover II and Harry Potter VII earns lots of boos from the crowd. "You're asking a conservative about the economic interests of Hollywood," Gingrich jokes. Bottom line, Romney, Gingrich and Paul are against the bills. Santorum is against the bills as well, but more eager to find some new rules to further protect intellectual property. "Where in America does it say that anything goes?" Santorum asks. There are some places, but Santorum has probably never been to them.

76 minutes. Break number two. Say what you want about the evils of Time Warner, but at least it allows CNN to go light on the commercial breaks.

78 minutes. We're back. No we're not. Another commercial break. Ignore the corporate backscratching at minute 76. Another movie made by Time Warner: Cats and Dogs -- The Revenge of Kitty Galore.

81 minutes. Back for real this time. The candidates are asked for one thing they would do over in the campaign. Gingrich says he would skip the first three months of the campaign when he "hired regular consultants and tried to figure how to be a normal candidate." Romney jokes that he would "get 25 more votes in Iowa." That's funny. Then Romney adds, "I guess I also would go back and take every moment I spent talking about one of the guys on the stage and spend that time talking about Barack Obama." This is disingenuous, but on message, and thus an apt summary of Romney's apparent strength and weakness. (As Romney says it, his campaign is blitzing reporters with more anti-Gingrich agitprop by e-mail.) Paul and Santorum can't think of anything they would do differently.

84 minutes. Immigration time. Same as before. Build a fence. Etc. Just look through previous "What You Missed" summaries to get the idea.

95 minutes. Abortion time. Gingrich attacks Romney for changing his mind on the issue. "Governor Romney has said that he had a experience in a lab and became pro-life, and I accept that," Gingrich says. Experience in a lab. Priceless. Then Gingrich says that Romney still appointed pro-choice judges, and still allowed for Planned Parenthood to benefit from his state health reforms. Santorum piles on, saying the country needs a pro-life crusader, not just a pro-life politician. It's like a tag team. At one point Gingrich even says, "I'll yield to Senator Santorum." Romney defends himself by pointing out that he had little choice, given the state he was in, and says he really is pro-life.

103 minutes. Paul finally gets a chance to speak again. He gets into a spat with Santorum about his own pro-life record. Paul calls abortion "a violent act" that should be handled by state, not federal, law; Santorum disagrees. At one point, Paul says to Santorum, "You are overly sensitive."

107 minutes. Final break.

111 minutes. We're back. King asks for closing arguments. Paul talks about liberty. Gingrich talks about certain doom if Obama is reelected, and suggests he is the only person who can defeat Obama. Romney lapses into his stump speech, quoting from the Declaration of Independence, and whatnot. Santorum argues that you need a conservative who will draw a sharp contrast with Obama. (See "What You Missed While Not Watching the Las Vegas GOP Debate.")

118 minutes. "That concludes our debate this evening," says King. And so it does. Four candidates still remain. No one knows how many more Republican debates are left. Should they go the way of that one pizza guy, they too won't be missed.

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Does the South Carolina Primary Change Anything? (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | The political atmosphere in my house is always interesting. I am a far-right person who feels the Republican Party does me a disservice every year, while my wife leans left and is slowly dipping her toes into voting Republican. As a social studies teacher, I love this time of year and find the discussion of elections, primaries and caucuses to be highly entertaining. And though I dislike much of our national political situation, I love living in South Carolina during primary season because it is the rare time that all eyes are here, at the home of the "first in the South" primary.

This year has been especially exciting leading to Saturday. Mitt Romney's and Rick Santorum's to the wire finish in Iowa will be discussed in political science classes for a while, I am sure. Meanwhile, Romney pulled a strong lead in New Hampshire, which was to be expected. Everyone began discussing South Carolina and our great claim to fame: the person who wins South Carolina wins the Republican nomination, election cycle after election cycle. All Romney had to do was win here and many pundits said it would be all over.

So what happened? Somehow, Newt Gingrich pulled out a victory in South Carolina. Now, instead of Romney being the assured victor of the Republican nomination, it is a contest considered wide open. Three states have chosen three winners. This completely blows my mind. I can't recall this happening in my life time in the Republican elections.

I must confess, I found this year's crop of candidates extremely disappointing. With voter dissatisfaction at an all-time high for all of Washington, the Republicans needed a decent candidate who could gain broad support across a spectrum of voters. Instead, we got niche candidates.

Santorum appeals to the social conservatives, which I certainly am, but has little excitement in his candidacy outside of his sweater vest collection, which I hear has a Web page devoted to it. Romney is a typical politician whose opinions change with the wind. He sounds good but when you pay any attention to his record, it is nearly impossible to tell where he would stand on issues.

My wife continues to remind me it is normal in politics, and I can't disagree, but I wish for more. Gingrich shot to national prominence 17 years ago as he led the Republicans to congressional victory but was cast out in a humiliating coup, when he was revealed to have all the moral fortitude of the president he led the charge to impeach.

Finally, there is Ron Paul. Paul is fun and has a great concept in returning to the Constitution, as a supreme guide for America. Meanwhile, he continues promoting an isolationist approach to world affairs, which would have been welcome 100 years ago but hardly seems possible in a world with satellite TV, cellphones and the Internet.

So where is the Republican Party headed now? Though many pundits have claimed recently the Republican Party is on the verge of collapse, due to the fractured primary, the majority of Republican-leaning voters will rally behind the eventual nominee, for fear of four more years of record unemployment, Obamacare and the constant downgrading of our allies to woo our enemies.

I don't believe the nominee will be chosen soon. This may be one of those once in a lifetime seasons where most of the states get a say, before a definite leader is seen. Before anyone says this is proof the Republican Party is in jeopardy, I remind you of the 2008 Democratic primary season, in which I was sure the hateful rhetoric between Hillary Clinton's and Obama's camps would tear the party apart. Instead, they now own the White House. This could be an interesting election year.

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South Carolina Primary Election Quotes (ContributorNetwork)

Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina presidential preference primary in dramatic fashion. In the week leading to the election, the supposed front-runner was Mitt Romney. Then Gingrich surged ahead and won more than 40 percent of the vote in the Palmetto State. The New York Times reports Gingrich had 40 percent of the vote and 23 delegates.

Here's are quotes from the four major candidates on the night of the South Carolina primary.

* "We want to run not a Republican campaign, we want to run an American campaign because we are optimistic about the future because America has always been optimistic about the future. If we unleash the American people, we can rebuild the America that we love." -- Newt Gingrich, giving his victory speech in South Carolina. Politico reports his tone was much different than after the Iowa caucus. Gingrich graciously accepted the speeches of the other three candidates.

* "In recent weeks, the choice within our party has also come into stark focus. President Obama has no experience running a business and running a state. Our party can't be led to victory by someone who also has ever led a business and never run a state. Our campaign will be about the businesses I helped start, not the bills I tried to pass. Our president has divided the nation, engaged in class warfare, and attacked the free enterprise system that has made America the envy of the world. We cannot defeat that president with a candidate that has joined in that very assault on free enterprise." -- Mitt Romney in his concession speech, according to CBS News . He was attacking Gingrich's credentials for being president as well as Obama's work at the White House. Romney came in second in South Carolina after finishing first in New Hampshire.

* "Three states, three winners, what a great country. Let me assure you, we will go to Florida, and then to Arizona, and Colorado, and.... It's a wide open race!" -- Rick Santorum on his future plans, according to ABC News . Florida is the next primary election on Jan. 31. Santorum came in third in South Carolina after winning the Iowa caucus on Jan. 3.

* "This is the beginning of a long, hard job. We will continue to do this. There's no doubt about it. In the beginning, I thought it would just be promotion of a cause. Then it dawned on me, when you win elections and you win delegates, that's the way you promote a cause." -- Rep. Ron Paul of Texas on his future plans for the GOP nominating process. Politico reports he finished fourth in South Carolina, the only one of the mainstream candidates who hasn't won a primary contest yet.

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Factors Shaping Gingrich’s South Carolina Primary Win (ContributorNetwork)

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich pulled off a convincing win in the South Carolina primary on Saturday. Gingrich received 40.4 percent of the votes, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney got 27.8 percent, as reported by the New York Times. The primary leaves some interesting takeaways to ponder, including factors that influenced Gingrich's victory.

* South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley endorsed Romney early, but it apparently didn't have an impact, for she's losing popularity, too, according to Politico.

* Even though the southern state suffered through heavy precipitation Saturday, The State reported around 600,000 voters turned out, which bested the turnouts for 2008 and 2000. In total, South Carolina has about 3 million registered voters.

* CNSNews.com reported a Public Policy Polling survey and it showed Gingrich had a 54 percent favorable rating among likely GOP primary voters compared to a 37 percent unfavorable rating. Gingrich's attacks on the media seem to jell with the voters there, too, for only 14 percent of these people favor the media, compared to 77 percent who don't.

* The Detroit Free Press cited McClatchy-Tribune's reporting that super PAC and GOP presidential hopefuls' ad spending in "The Palmetto State" totaled some $12 million.

* According to CBS News exit polling, 64 percent of voters said the debates (with Gingrich getting standing ovations the previous two spectacles), influenced their vote, as opposed to 34 percent who didn't, according to CBS News' Political Hotsheet.

* According to the New York Times, Romney only won three counties, including the counties where the cities of Charleston and Columbia are. Gingrich won all the other counties.

* FoxNews.com reported one notable state endorsement Gingrich got came from the Rev. Bill Monroe, a highly esteemed religious leader, which helped the former House speaker win the evangelical vote easily per Fox News exit polls.

* The Associated Press reported early Sunday that Gingrich will take at least 23 of the state's 25 delegates, while Romney is the only candidate who has any chance of getting the other two delegates. Final results are expected to take at least a week to be completed.

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In a Surprising Twist, Gingrich Wins South Carolina Primary (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Leading up to the South Carolina primary, Mitt Romney seemed to be the front-runner. That is until the debate on Thursday. There was a mixed reaction of South Carolina voters about Romney's personal wealth and his taxes. Romney plans to release some of his tax returns but has yet to disclose what years and how far back he will be disclosing. Two-thirds of South Carolina voters said Mitt Romney's personal background will have no dealings on how they voted, according to ABC News.

Newt Gingrich seemed to be a long shot going into Saturday's primary; however, he came out ahead. Early exit polls had put Gingrich in the range of 30 percent to 35 percent, with Romney second. The Washington Post says Gingrich finished with 40.4 percent to Romney's 27.9 percent.

South Carolina has picked the Republican nominee with its primary every presidential election since 1980. This was a crucial race for all contenders in the race. This made the South Carolina primary important to all potential nominees. There will be many more primaries and caucuses over the next several months. The winner of the nomination will go on to compete against sitting President Barack Obama.

This election the biggest issue on the table with the candidates for the Republican nomination is the economy. This issue will be a large issue in November when voters cast their final vote for the next president.

Gingrich's win in South Carolina means voters have chosen a different candidate in every primary so far. Romney won the New Hampshire primary and it appeared he had won the Iowa caucus, but after a recount shows former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum took Iowa.

The nomination still could be anyone's. Because South Carolina has chosen the winner of the nomination at each of its primary's since 1980 does not necessarily mean Gingrich will win the nomination. This could be history in the making that South Carolina will break its trend and not have chosen the winner of the nomination at its primary.

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South Carolina Primary Results by the Numbers (ContributorNetwork)

Newt Gingrich has been declared the winner of the South Carolina presidential primary. With three presidential races finished to this point, there have been three winners. Rick Santorum won the Iowa caucus. Mitt Romney was victorious in New Hampshire. Gingrich has won South Carolina. For the first time, three candidates have won the first three races.

Here's a look at the results of the South Carolina primary, by the numbers.

23: Delegates to the Republican National Convention that Gingrich earned. The delegates are based on the population of the state. Gingrich won just more than 40 percent of the vote, according to the New York Times. There are 25 delegates available from the Palmetto State.

4: Mainstream candidates on the ballot in South Carolina. For the Iowa caucus, there were eight major candidates.

46: Counties in South Carolina. Polls were open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

1.1: Percentage of votes earned by Herman Cain. Even though he dropped out of the race in early December, Cain got over 6,300 votes in South Carolina. That number would not have made a difference in the final tally.

34: Percentage of voters in South Carolina who identify themselves as having an affiliation with the tea party. A CBS News poll claimed nearly half of them supported Gingrich.

18: Percentage of voters who came to the polls. Some precincts had heavier turnouts than others, especially in large cities where Republicans do well.

243,398: Votes Gingrich won in the primary, with 99 percent of the precincts reporting. The front-runner had 75,000 votes more than second place finisher Romney.

143,224: Votes Sen. John McCain won in the 2008 primary. He won by only 15,000 votes over Mike Huckabee.

3: Counties Romney won in South Carolina. Gingrich won the rest. Romney won Charleston County, Richland County and Beaufort County. Those places include Columbia and Charleston.

167,957: Votes Romney won. He improved upon his 2008 total by more than 100,000 votes. He won nearly 28 percent in 2012 vs. 15 percent four years ago.

4: Place Rep. Ron Paul finished in South Carolina. He came in last out of the mainstream candidates. Paul is the only major candidate who hasn't won a primary election in 2012.

William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics. Born in St. Louis, Browning is active in local politics and served as a campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.

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Mitt Romney aims to pull off an 'Iowa' in South Carolina (The Christian Science Monitor)

Washington – Long-shot candidate Rick Santorum’s stunning near-win in the Iowa caucuses got the big headlines, but the victorious Mitt Romney also came out of the Hawkeye State with momentum.

Mr. Romney, too, had a bit of a surge at the end in Iowa, coming up from about 15 percent in the polls in early December to win with almost 25 percent. He hardly campaigned in Iowa, instead relying on the network he had built during his presidential campaign four years ago, and he kept expectations low until the end. Polls showing him as most able to beat President Obama in November made him strong among late deciders.

As the moderate former governor of Massachusetts, Romney was never a natural fit for Iowa Republicans, who skew more conservative and evangelical than Republicans as a whole. New Hampshire is home turf for Romney, and he is expected to win comfortably there next Tuesday.

RECOMMENDED: Mitt Romney gaffes: 8 times the button-down candidate should have buttoned up

But the next contest – South Carolina, on Jan. 21 – will be a challenge. Once again, Romney will face a GOP electorate that skews conservative and evangelical. Thus, he is taking detours for two appearances there, one Thursday afternoon, then Friday morning, before heading back to friendly New Hampshire.

Thursday morning, Romney released a new ad in South Carolina attacking Mr. Obama for going around Congress and appointing three new members to the National Labor Relations Board.

“You’re seeing a president adopt policies which affect our economy based not upon what’s right for the American worker but instead what’s right for their politics,” Romney said in the ad.

The White House accuses Romney of opposing protections to workers. The National Labor Relations Board came under heavy criticism in South Carolina for challenging Boeing Co. over its decision to build the 787 Dreamliner there.  

Romney’s goal in South Carolina: to pull off another “Iowa” – that is, win a plurality victory, or at least come close, amid a crowd of conservatives. Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s decision to stay in the race after finishing fifth in Iowa may help Romney, as it helps keep the conservative pie divided.

South Carolina, in fact, could be an easier sell for Romney than Iowa. South Carolina has a primary, which produces higher turnout and doesn’t favor just the most committed (presumably conservative) Republicans, as is the case in the Iowa caucuses.

And if South Carolina Republican primary voters are anything like they were four years ago, they won’t be as conservative as Iowa GOP caucusgoers. In 2008, the exit poll showed 68 percent of South Carolina Republicans self-identified as conservative. In Tuesday’s entrance poll in Iowa, 83 percent of caucusgoers self-identified as conservative.

In both states, about 6 in 10 Republican voters are evangelical. That works against Romney, whose Mormon faith makes some evangelicals uncomfortable. But in a cycle where the economy is the No. 1 issue and electability overrides all else for some voters, Romney is still competitive among religious conservatives.

Palmetto State Republicans pride themselves in being the “deciders” in competitive primaries. Since the first South Carolina Republican primary in 1980, the winner has always gone on to win the nomination. But analysts warn against presuming it will always be thus; there have been only six such contests. Florida Republicans, who vote on Jan. 31, will provide a better test of party sentiment, as Florida is a bigger, more diverse state. Romney is already airing ads there.

In the end, a loss in South Carolina for Romney may be merely a bump in the road on the way to the nomination. And if he manages to pull off a victory there, he’s well-positioned to lock up the nomination early. 

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Watch this video, by Staff photographer Melanie Stetson Freeman, of Mitt Romney campaigning in New Hampshire prior to Tuesday's GOP primary:

youtube

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