SC Update: McCain Projected Winner by AP

By: Lowell
Published On: 1/19/2008 1:18:08 PM

More indications that Republicans are simply not excited about their candidates for President comes from South Carolina, where turnout and enthusiasm among Republican voters appears to be low. Who can blame them, when you've got people like this running?  The bad weather doesn't help either, but if Republicans were excited about their candidates, something tells me they'd grab an umbrella and turn out anyway.  Another good sign for Democrats this November, as long as we don't tear ourselves apart before then.

P.S.  The New York Times Caucus blog adds, "Turnout is expected to be low, due to both the weather and Republican dissatisfaction with the field."

UPDATE: NBC confirms "Light voter turnout has been reported throughout most of the state."  Results should start coming in after 7 PM and are available here.

UPDATE: It's 7:01 PM, polls are now closed in SC.

UPDATE 7:27 PM: According to exit polls, John McCain looks like he won both men (31%) and women (33%) voters.  Unless there's another gender I'm missing here (ha), looks like the exit polls have McCain winning, followed by Huckabee, Romney and Thompson.  MSNBC says it's "too close to call."  Exit polls indicate Huckabee edged out McCain among "White Protestant" voters, but got crushed among "White Catholic" voters.  This is definitely not a sign that Huckabee is extending his appeal beyond his evangelical base.

UPDATE 8:00 PM: With 6% of precincts reporting, it's McCain 34%, Huckabee 29%, Romney 16%, Thompson 14%, Paul 4%, Giuliani 3%.

UPDATE 8:06 PM: With 13% of precincts reporting it's McCain 34%, Huckabee 30%, Thompson 15% and Romney 15%.

UPDATE 8:15 PM: With 22% reporting, it's McCain 36%, Huckabee 28%, Thompson 15% and Romney 15%.

UPDATE 8:21 PM: Fred Thompson MAY be pulling out of the race.  Or not.  Who knows with this guy?

UPDATE 8:30 PM: With 33% reporting, it's McCain 35%, Huckabee 29%, Thompson 15%, Romney 15%.

UPDATE 8:38 PM: With 43% reporting, it's McCain 33%, Huckabee 30%, Thompson 16% and Romney 15%.  Tight race between McCain and Huckabee.

UPDATE 8:50 PM: With 54% reporting, it's McCain 34%, Huckabee 29%, Thompson 16%, Romney 15%.

UPDATE 8:59 PM: Duncan Hunter announces he's dropping out of the race.

UPDATE 9:00 PM: With 66% reporting, it's McCain 34%, Huckabee 29%, Thompson 16%, Romney 15%.  Looks like it might be stabilizing, but we'll see...

UPDATE 9:10 PM: With 75% reporting, it's McCain 34%, Huckabee 29%, Thompson 16%, Romney 15%.  Sound familiar?  Time to call this thing or what?

UPDATE 9:20 PM: With 82% reporting, it's McCain 33%, Huckabee 30%, Thompson 16%, Romney 15%.  Can Huckabee catch McCain with just 18% of precincts remaining?

UPDATE 9:23 PM: AP projects McCain the winner of South Carolina.  That's a sweet victory for McCain after what happened to him in SC in 2000.


Comments



weather (Adam Malle - 1/19/2008 1:47:19 PM)
the weather could help Obama if it keeps I's away


The Democratic Primary is next week. (Johnny Longtorso - 1/19/2008 2:06:29 PM)
That would be a lot of rain.


Ha! (Lowell - 1/19/2008 2:08:11 PM)
:)


ahhhhhh (Adam Malle - 1/19/2008 2:24:48 PM)
if they do not vote this week they will still be Eligible to vote next week. :P


Good for John McCain (DanG - 1/19/2008 10:26:58 PM)
I'm glad for him.  He really deserves this, especially after what Rove did to him in 2000.


McCain has now won NH and SC (Lowell - 1/19/2008 10:33:43 PM)
One northern and one southern state.  Very different states.  In contrast, Huckabee only wins where fundamentalist Christians are numerous.  Romney only wins where there are a lot of Mormons (Nevada) or where he grew up (Michigan).  Thompson wins nowhere and will probably drop out.  Paul wins nowhere but will probably stay in.  Hunter's out.  Giuliani's only hope is Florida...we'll see.  As far as I can tell, McCain's the front runner at this point, unless Giuliani can rise from the dead or Romney can spent a gazillion dollars on 2/5 and win some states.


I generally agree (Ron1 - 1/19/2008 10:40:03 PM)
But Romney still expanded his delegate lead greatly today.

The Mittster has more money -- it's a question of how much of his sons' inheritances he wants to throw away on a losing bet. I believe there are a number of winner take all primaries on 2/5 that may tell the story here, but Romney is playing a savvy game here.

Go Mitt! (a.k.a. I'm Dreaming of a Blue Landslide in November)



McCain! (DanG - 1/19/2008 10:44:59 PM)
Here's the way I see it:

Though McCain may be more conservative than me, at least he'd be competent.  That way, we'd be safe regardless of the turnout in November.

At least, that's how I feel.



Two words. (Lowell - 1/19/2008 10:46:37 PM)
Supreme. Court.  

Think about it.



I know (DanG - 1/19/2008 10:49:17 PM)
I did think about it.  But I don't completely trust Hillary's electablility, even against Mitt.  Call me paranoid.


I used to be a big McCain fan (Ron1 - 1/19/2008 10:59:27 PM)
In 2000, when I was probably about the age you are, I was a big McCain backer, and would have voted for him in the general had he been nominated (I'm thankful to say that I at least didn't vote for GWB; as a Texas resident at the time, I had seen enough of him as Governor to have a real bad feeling about him, although I surely wasn't a Gore fan either).

But that McCain sold out for the past four years, kissing Bush's ass/ring (that sounds dirty; I mean his ass or his ring) to try and get good with the Bush backers. He's sold out on tax cuts for the wealthy at a time of increasing and structural debt, he's gone crazy with respect to military and foreign policy (helping to filibuster the Webb/Hagel dwell time amendment, my #1 boiling point of 2007), he sold out on torture, and, as Lowell points out, he'd really further the conservative cause re: judges. Throw in him singing "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran", etc., and he's proven that he's become a joke and fraud of the highest order. Most importantly, he's as big a backer of this stupid war as anyone.

I no longer see any of that hint of competence or independence that used to attract me to him -- he sold out, party and partisanship over country and constitution. That utterly disqualifies him in my view. I will 100% vote for HRC, despite my utter disdain for Clintonism, generally, and their group of lackies, over McCain, no questions asked.

I understand your point, but I just think you're seeing things that aren't there.

[BTW, just to be clear -- based on the "age" questions that were bandied about lately, I'm not suggesting naivete on your part or 'superior wisdom' of being a whole decade older than you. Just sayin', McCain ain't who he used to be, if he ever even was...]



Don't forget. . . (buzzbolt - 1/20/2008 12:01:06 AM)
McCain walking through Bagdad neighborhoods declaring them safe and secure while wearing body armor and being escorted by damn near a battalion of body guards courtesy of the U. S. military.  


Yes, that was priceless. (Lowell - 1/20/2008 6:52:38 AM)
n/t


I agree with you, "GO MITT!!!" (Lowell - 1/19/2008 10:45:28 PM)
Very, very weak and unlikeable candidate.  But he's got a ton of $$$, as you point out, so let's hope he spends Tagg et al's inheritance.  Ha. :)


Wait a minute (Silence Dogood - 1/19/2008 10:31:19 PM)
Duncan Hunter was still in the race?


Yeah, believe it or not. (Lowell - 1/19/2008 10:34:32 PM)
I had forgotten about him as well.


weather helped mccain (pvogel - 1/20/2008 3:25:43 AM)
mccain stronghold is the lowcountry( Charleston, Mt Pleasent, myrtle bch, beufort, and pawleys island)
army, navy

It rained there.

The upcountry( Greenville-spartansburg) had mixed snow and Ice most of the day. Thats Huckabees  rea. Seems like G-d almighty dont want huckabee to be president.



Where it stands (humanfont - 1/20/2008 11:07:13 AM)
*Huckabee: now toast.  Without SC, he's a one hit wonder.  He doesn't have the money or organization to compete on super tuesday.  There might be an outside chance of a comeback in Florida, but that state takes a lot of cash to compete.
*McCain: stumbling forward.  He has momentum, but he doesn't look very steady on his feet.  Also he's staked his entire political career on yesterdays news (the surge, Iraq).  With the economy going south, americans arn't going to care who was right about messopotamia.  Don't forget Bush I and the first gulf war.
*Romney: looking stronger every week.  Don't underestimate the Mormans.  He will get tons of delegates out west.  The more viable he looks as the first morman president, the more he wiil be in line for a massive fundraising pipeline.  
*Gulliani: needs a commanding win in Florida to reassert himself as a frontrunner.  Then maybe he gets a strong showing on Supertuesday from name recognition.  His strategy might work, he will get enough press coverage until then to stay in.