Polls: Gingrich Surging Ahead in S. Carolina
Opinion polls suggested former House Speaker Newt Gingrich surged ahead of frontrunner Mitt Romney in South Carolina as the state prepares to vote Saturday in its Republican primary.
The last survey before the voters go to the polls showed Gingrich with a 40%-to-26% lead over Romney, CNN reported. The same American Research Group tracking poll showed the two men tied just a few days ago.
Another poll showed Gingrich with 37%, compared to 28% for Romney. Most surveys showed Rick Santorum and Ron Paul trailing with about 15% apiece.
Anything close to a 10-point win would be a massive victory for Gingrich, who stumbled through the first two contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. It would also strip Romney of the cloak of invincibility he once wore as the presumptive nominee.
Besides his problems in South Carolina, Romney also turned out to have narrowly lost Iowa to Santorum, a final count showed, reversing his Election Night 8-vote lead there.
Polls close in South Carolina at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Gingrich is riding a last-minute surge fueled by his combative performances in two debates, especially the final one Wednesday night in which he ripped into CNN host John King for kicking off the debate with a question about his ex-wife’s tawdry claim that he wanted an “open marriage.”
In the same debate, Romney fumbled a question about his tax returns, saying “maybe” when asked if he would release them.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
