Mitt Romney, recently seen as the GOP establishment candidate with an aura of ?electability? about him, had to settle for second place. Now it's on to Florida and two important debates.
In a remarkable turn-around from his lackluster performance in the first two presidential nominating contests, Newt Gingrich won a very clear victory in South Carolina Saturday evening.
Skip to next paragraphMitt Romney, until very recently seen as the Republican establishment candidate with an aura of ?electability? (if not ?inevitably?) about him, had to settle for second place. In the end, it was the best he could expect after a week in which he stumbled in debates and slid rapidly downward in the polls.
The results so far this primary season ? Rick Santorum winning Iowa, Mitt Romney taking New Hampshire, and Newt Gingrich surging to win South Carolina ? indicate what could be a wide-open race, at least for the next few contests. It?s the first time in modern GOP primary history that three different candidates won those three states.
RECOMMENDED: Newt Gingrich: 8 of the GOP idea man's more unusual ideas
"We are now three contests into a long primary season," Romney said in what was essentially a concession speech in which he congratulated Gingrich for the former House speaker?s first-place victory Saturday, adding in understatement: "This race is getting to be even more interesting."
With 95 percent of all precincts tallied, Gingrich was projected to finish with 40 percent, Romney 27 percent, Santorum 17 percent, and Ron Paul 13 percent.
The next primary will be held in Florida just 10 days from now (Jan. 31). Before that, there?ll be two GOP debates in the Sunshine State (next Monday and Thursday). Given the results in South Carolina, those closely-watched and analyzed events could be crucial to Romney?s political future.
Speaking to supporters less than an hour after the polls closed, Romney gave his standard stump speech ? references to ?a battle for the soul of America? and ?a shining city on a hill? ? mainly aimed at Barack Obama.
But he also took a few jabs at Gingrich, calling his opponent?s criticisms of Romney?s record in running an investment firm ?an assault on free enterprise? and insisting that ?our candidate can?t be someone who never ran a business and never ran a state.?
For his part, Gingrich spoke (longer than any of the others) like the front-runner he now is.
He said (brief) nice things about each of his three Republican rivals, then pivoted to a sharp critique of ?the elites of New York and Washington,? especially President Obama.
pro bowl 2012 ron artest deion sanders shld 2012 sec football schedule medifast miami heat
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.