Polls are closed in South Carolina, and we're liveblogging the results of the Republican presidential primary.
Results: AP (statewide) | AP (by county) | CNN | Google | Politico
4:40 PM PT:
That was Rasmussen, five days ago. Now, of course, Rasmussen sucks. But it wasn't the only poll that showed a huge Romney lead.
4:43 PM PT (David Nir): The exit polls show the following finish: Newt: 38.5; Mitt: 28.5; Santorum: 16.5; Paul: 14.5. But this is only the first batch. Oftentimes, there are one or more updates, so these numbers could shift a bit. Probably the only thing to look out for is whether Paul overtakes Santorum.
4:44 PM PT: Back in December, from the Wall Street Journal:
Mitt Romney snagged a big endorsement Friday, winning the support of Nikki Haley, governor of the pivotal early-voting state of South Carolina, which comes up third in the GOP nomination contests next month [...]
[T]he endorsement could help shore up Mr. Romney’s tepid support among national tea-party activists, many of whom still see Ms. Haley as a symbol of one of their biggest triumphs last year. The two will travel the state together, with their first joint appearances set for Friday.
It's not just Haley. No one gives a shit about endorsements except the media.
4:46 PM PT (David Nir): David Gergen, mimicking Alex Castellanos earlier, saying if Mitt loses FL, "There will be a lot of people in the Republican Party asking: Who else can we get?"
4:48 PM PT: Okay, Keith Obermann is rocking it in his coverage.
4:50 PM PT: MS Gov. Haley The governor's nepotistic nephew Henry Barbour explains the GOP establishment's position on Newt:
Henry Barbour, an influential Mississippi Republican and nephew of the former governor, attended Perry’s news conference to show support for his favored candidate but said immediately afterward he wouldn’t back Gingrich.
“I like having a Republican speaker of the House,” Barbour cracked, suggesting Gingrich would be a disaster as the GOP nominee. “He puts all our down-ticket candidates at risk.”
4:50 PM PT: Santorum: "I think our momentum is going to be a little longer lasting." Ha!
4:52 PM PT: Mitt Romney lost voters of all income levels except those making over $200K:
4:56 PM PT (Kaili Joy Gray): The liveblogging continues in the next thread.