By US Daily Review Staff.
The following are excerpts from news sources around the country reporting on the stunning, come from behind victory, for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Just over a week ago Mitt Romney had a double digit lead over Gingrich and every other Republican. Tonight, he is being beaten by the former Georgia Congressman and at the time this was written, was only beating Rick Santorum by less than double digits.
Several things factored in, according to the polling data. The majority of voters did not choose a candidate until after the debate. Of those voters Gingrich won half of those voters. The debates have been remarkably powerful, and many in the Republican Party are salivating at the idea of Gingrich debating Barack Obama. Furthermore, the pro-Gingrich Super PAC’s film, “When Mitt Romney Comes to Town” had a devastating affect on the opinions of many voters. Romney’s Mormon issue still lingers with many, and some pundits believed that it was one thing supporting Romney in polls and actually casting a vote for him when it mattered.
Three races, three different winners. This is a mess for the GOP that was hoping to be able to get behind someone soon and to begin to focus on Barack Obama.
Here’s a round up of a few articles on this important election:
From the Wall Street Journal:
Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich swept to victory in South Carolina’s Republican primary on Saturday, riding strong debate performances in recent days to upset Mitt Romney.
Mr. Romney had been leading in public opinion surveys only days ago.
Mr. Gingrich’s come-from-behind win—just over a week after his fifth-place finish in New Hampshire—scrambles the Republican nomination race. It punctures Mr. Romney’s air of inevitability and gives Mr. Gingrich a significant boost going into Florida, where he must surmount Mr. Romney’s superior organizational and financial edge in the Jan. 31 primary there.
The win is a significant milestone for Mr. Gingrich, whose candidacy was severely damaged last summer when most of his top aides resigned en masse. He carried on with little staff or money afterward.
The Associated Press and three television networks called the election soon after polls closed in South Carolina at 7 p.m. EST, based on a… (read more)
From Fox News:
Before the polls even closed in South Carolina, the Republican presidential candidates were gearing up for another bruising battle in Florida — recognizing that the race is unlikely to be wrapped up any time soon.
Newt Gingrich, who Fox News projects has won the South Carolina primary, hit pause on that state’s campaign Saturday to hold a telephone town hall with Florida voters. After polls closed in South Carolina, his campaign tweeted in a fundraising pitch, “Thank you South Carolina! Help me deliver the knockout punch in Florida.”
Mitt Romney, aides told Fox News, is meanwhile readying a fresh set of attacks on Gingrich in the Sunshine State.
The preparations confirm what the candidates are saying — that South Carolina, which two weeks ago looked like it might be the end of the road for Romney’s opponents, is now seen as just the beginning of a protracted battle for delegates.
“We have a long way to go, so come join us in Florida,” Romney told supporters Saturday. “Then in Nevada, Michigan, Colorado. We have a long way to go.”
The political dynamics in Florida are far different (read more)
From the Associated Press:
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich stormed to an upset victory in the South Carolina primary Saturday night, dealing a sharp setback to former front-runner Mitt Romney and suddenly scrambling the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
“Thank you, South Carolina!” a jubilant Gingrich tweeted to his supporters. He appealed for a flood of donations for the next-up Jan. 31primary. “Help me deliver the knockout punch in Florida. Join our Moneybomb and donate now,” said his tweet.
Exit polls showed he led among voters who said their top priority was picking a candidate who could beat President Barack Obama — a group that had preferred Romney in earlier contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Romney, the national front-runner until now, was unbowed. He vowed to contest for every vote “in every state” and unleashed a double-barreled attack on Obama and Gingrich.
Referring to Gingrich’s criticism of his business experience, Romney said, “When my opponents attack success and free enterprise, they’re not only attacking me, they’re attacking every person who dreams of a better future. He’s attacking you,” he told supporters, the closest he came to mentioning the primary winner’s name.
Returns from 57 percent of the state’s precincts showed Gingrich with 40 percent of the vote to 27 percent for Romney. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum was… (read more)
0
0
Average Rating