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Newt Gingrich Wins South Carolina GOP Primary

Tricia Tongco |
January 21, 2012 | 4:10 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

Newt Gingrich (Creative Commons)
Newt Gingrich (Creative Commons)

Newt Gingrich has won the South Carolina GOP primary.

The win does not come as a big surprise since Gingrich surged this week following his strong performance at a debate held by CNN in South Carolina, where he vehemently denied the charge that he had asked his ex-wife Marianne Gingrich for an open marriage and called the story "as despicable as anything I can imagine." He also called out CNN host John King by name, saying he was "appalled" King would open the debate with a question about his ex-wife and her accusations.

A tornado watch may have affected voter turnout, which was in effect for much of the state with severe thunderstorms forecasted.

Mitt Romney had been ahead at the beginning of the week, with two victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, but has been slipping in recent polls after coming under intense criticism from Gingrich and other rivals.

Romney even acknowledged that he may not secure the nomination- a move that could be seen as a strategy to lower expectations after his performance in the South Carolina primary- once the prospect of Gingrich's victory grew.

Although Gingrich has won the South Carolina primary and has done well in the Southern states, his path to the nomination is anything but secure. He does not have the broader appeal of Romney, and even more significantly, Gingrich’s volatility and scandalous past seem to make Republicans nervous of him going up against Barack Obama. Yet historically, the winner of the South Carolina primary has gone on to win the Republican nomination every time since 1980.

Despite his loss, Romney was ready to gear up for the long haul even before votes were cast.

"We've got a long way to go. So come join us in Florida, in Nevada, Michigan, Colorado," Romney said at an event before the primary.

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