Complete results:
Politico |
Google
7:08 PM PT: Looking at CNN dial poll of South Carolina voters, he is performing far better than Santorum did. Of course, that's a small group of voters, so not indicative of much. Well, except that Santorum better hope SC voters didn't watch these speeches.
7:09 PM PT: I'm talking about Gingrich in that post above.
7:10 PM PT: Damn, those SC voters on the CNN dial panel LOOOOVES them some Gingrich. Off the charts.
7:12 PM PT: This is boring. When is he going to go after Romney? Don't tell me he's chickened out...
7:14 PM PT: So CNN is showing Gingrich's speech on tape delay, because he spoke at the same time as Santorum. Interestingly, Fox is just skipping it altogether. Maybe they're punishing him for his socialist attacks on Romney?
7:14 PM PT (David Nir): And speaking of Newt, he's (temporarily) reclaimed 4th place from Santorum. Will the excitement never end?
7:16 PM PT: Alright guys, that's it for tonight.
Big takeaway? Mittens got barely one-third of the vote in his own backyard, while far fewer Republicans turned out than did in 2008 (for John McCain). This is not the mark of an excited GOP electorate, and certainly not a sign of a strong field.
Can't wait for South Carolina! That one will have real drama.
7:30 PM PT (David Jarman): Looks like Mitt Romney will break his 75,700 from 2008; in fact, he's currently on track for 86,000 votes, based on extrapolation from where we are now with 71% reporting. However, that's still less than John McCain's 88,700 votes from 2008.
7:44 PM PT (David Jarman): One last observation, about the only thing that's really in any doubt any more: who breaks the two-way tie for fourth place? Right now, Santorum leads Gingrich by 30, 16,457 to 16,427. The important takeaway, though: both are at 9.7%. You gotta clear 10% to take home a delegate, so they're on the brink of going home empty-handed.