COLUMBIA, SC – Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has come from behind to beat the frontrunner, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, in today’s South Carolina GOP primary. As this goes to post, Gingrich enjoys a 14% edge over Romney. Former senator Rick Santorum, of Pennsylvania, is third and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) is finishing fourth.
After South Carolina, three different candidates have won the first three nomination events. Santorum won a narrow victory in the Iowa caucuses; Romney won decisively in the New Hampshire primary and Gingrich has chalked up a decisive win in South Carolina.
The question remains, that with two conservatives in the race challenging the moderate Romney and the libertarian Paul, can Romney be stopped without either Gingrich or Santorum dropping out?
gingrich won south carolina because it was an open primary with democrats voting… why would democrats vote for gingrich? because they believe him best to be the one facing obama. the tea party republicans were split with santorum, and the republican elitists voted romney believing the MSM line that only he can defeat obama… unfortunately he can’t, and the democrats of SC believed the MSM and threw their votes to gingrich… next time, the MSM should let their voters in on their plans to make romney king.