Newt Gingrich wins critical South Carolina primary

By Jonathan McFadden
mcfaddenj@mytjnow.com

Mitt Romney has many titles that follow his name: 

• Former Massachusetts governor. 
• GOP contender. 
• Father of five. 
• Venture capitalist. 
• And now, second place.  

Mere minutes after polls closed in South Carolina, CNN projected the decisive first-in-the-South primary’s winner: Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House. 

This makes the first time three different candidates have won the Iowa caucus, New Hampshire primary and South Carolina primary. 

Crowds of supporters shouted “Newt can win” as the primary’s winner began knocking President Barack Obama’s economic policies, job creation record and his creation of an “America of dependence” and “food stamps.” 

Gingrich continued to fling mud, saying that Obama is so weak “he makes Jimmy Carter look strong.” 

“The genius of America is that you can come from any background,” Gingrich said. 

Instead of pouncing on his contenders, Gingrich commended them for their speeches, political history and commitment to conservative American values. 

“The fact is we do not want to run a Republican campaign, we want to run an American campaign,” Gingrich said. 

Rain, low temperatures and chilled winds across the Palmetto State didn’t stop voters from heading to the polls and casting their ballot in South Carolina primary, a stage in the contest Republican candidates feel pressed to win thanks to the state’s reputation for correctly choosing the Republican Party nominee since 1980. 

Exit poll data from South Carolina’s precincts show that Gingrich won the primary by a wide margin over his fiercest competitor Romney, in spite of a week marred by allegations from his ex-wife, Marianne Gingrich, and anti-media attacks stemming from CNN’s Thursday night debate in Charleston. 

Gingrich came in at 41 percent, while Romney followed with 27 percent, Santorum with 17 percent and Paul with 13 percent. 

Polls before Saturday’s primary showed that Romney seemed destined to win the Palmetto State. Then, just days before the decisive primary, a turn developed. 

Romney’s support from likely primary South Carolina voters began to slag, perhaps resulting from his reluctance to release his income tax returns and his stumbling performance in recent debates. 

“This race is getting even more interesting,” Romney said to an assembly of supporters after the announcement was made. “I just want to say thanks to all the people who’ve helped. Let’s begin with your governor, Gov. Nikki Haley.” 

Gov. Nikki Haley endorsed Romney; an action that polled voters said had no bearing on their decision on whether or not they would support Romney. 

Romney congratulated Gingrich on a “hard fought campaign” and said, “This is a hard fight because there’s so much worth fighting for.” 

“Tomorrow, we’re going to move on to Florida,” a state that has suffered under President Barack Obama’s economic policies, Romney said. 

Romney continued to mount attacks on Obama, saying that “we want to restore America to the founding principles that made this country great and the hope of the earth.” 

“I will fight for every single vote; I will compete in every single state,” Romney said. “We’re going to win this nomination and we’re going to beat President Obama in November.” 

The former Massachusetts governor, whose policies many analysts have said most closely resemble Obama’s, indirectly turned his attention to a candidate who has joined Obama in an assault on “free enterprise” –Gingrich. 

Romney refrained from naming Gingrich, instead making hardline references to his fiercest competitor. Romney’s choice not to name his GOP contenders mirrors tactics he’s exhibited while debating across the state, opting instead to let his attack ads speak for him. 

Unlike Romney, Gingrich has consistently gone for the jugular—naming and attacking his opponents outspokenly. 

Romney’s crowd of supporters proceeded to chant, “We need Mitt,” to which he replied, “Well, thank you.” 

Up until Thursday, the world thought Romney won the Iowa caucus. A final tally by the Iowa Republican Party unveiled the contrary. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum finished first in the caucus and was declared the actual winner. 

Romney did come in first in the nation’s first primary in New Hampshire. Romney rallied on campus this past Wednesday. 

The paradigm shift in the race from Romney to Gingrich speaks to the “Republican flavor of the week” state voters have exhibited since the first polls, said Karen Kedrowski, department chair of Winthrop’s political science department. 

The tendency for voters to try on different candidates “to see how they feel” has extended into the primary, she said. 

More than that, it seems that evangelical conservatives –who make up a large cohort of South Carolina Republican voters—have reconciled themselves to Gingrich’s infidelities, Kedrowski said. 

Gingrich has been married twice. He cheated on his first two wives. Marianne Gingrich, Gingrich’s second ex-wife, came forward this week to allege that Gingrich wanted an open marriage between him, her and Gingrich’s then-mistress, now-third wife Callista Gingrich. 

The hitch, for conservatives, is “it’s an enormous contradiction and I don’t get it,” said Kedrowski. 

Perhaps the change in conservative thought came with news of Gingrich’s religious reformation to Catholicism and his desire to seek redemption, she said. 

What’s interesting is what’s happened to Rick Santorum, who Kedrowski said was robbed of his “post Iowa bump,” a bump Romney took advantage of when he was initially declared the winner of the Iowa caucus. 

Santorum’s also losing money, Kedrowski said, noting that he rallied in York County this week in a van. 

Santorum, perhaps the most conservative contender in the race, stayed as optimistic as possible after receiving the news. 

Speaking with a CNN reporter, Santorum said his staff will go over where –in his nearly impeccable record of remaining stable on issues and in debates—the campaign may have gone wrong. Santorum also said he will stay in the race. 

Giving his speech Saturday night, Santorum spoke fondly of his coal-miner grandfather before saying that current White House leadership is concerned with taking care of citizens but not believing in them. He then promised a “conservative movement” in America, if elected, so that every person in America will “rise in America.” 

“It’s a pretty simple formula…a formula that values work,” he said. 

He was treated to a crowd chanting: “We pick Rick.” 

During his post-primary results speech, Texas Rep. Ron Paul took the opportunity to criticize the big government he feels contributed to the economic downturn. 

He also gave a message emphasizing freedom, liberty and “destiny.” He continued to promote his non-interventionist message on foreign affairs. 

“In the last 10 to 12 years, we have embarked on a road that has harmed our personal liberties,” said Paul, who advocated the government rid of the Patriot Act, a law signed under George W. Bush’s presidency, which limited the government’s restrictions on searching telecommunication avenues for potential terrorist activities. 

Obama extended the law in May 2011. 

Now that South Carolina has spoken, candidates will head to Florida, where another primary showdown will take place on Jan. 31.