“More Americans are paying close attention to the 2016 presidential race than during the past two presidential campaigns, new research shows, triggering a record voter turnout that’s also expected in South Carolina,” the Charleston Post and Courier reports.
“The data shows the availability of social media was bringing more young adults into the process as well. Social media was the primary source for 18- to 29-year-olds, while cable news dominated all other age groups.”
A new CBS News poll in South Carolina finds Donald Trump leading the GOP race with 42%, followed by Ted Cruz at 20%, Marco Rubio at 15%, John Kasich at 9%, Jeb Bush at 6% and Ben Carson at 6%.
In the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders, 59% to 40%.
A new American Research Group poll in South Carolina finds Donald Trump leading the GOP presidential pack with 35%, followed by John Kasich at 15%, Marco Rubio at 14%, Ted Cruz at 12%, Jeb Bush at 10% and Ben Carson at 2%.
In the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton is crushing Bernie Sanders, 65% to 27%.
Bush super PAC operative Mike Murphy posts South Carolina tracking numbers another GOP campaign: Donald Trump leads with 34%, followed by Ted Cruz at 17%, Jeb Bush at 12%, Marco Rubio at 10% and John Kasich “in single digits.”
South Carolina House Republicans apparently conducted their own poll and found Donald Trump leading the GOP presidential race with 35%, followed by Ted Cruz at 16%, Jeb Bush at 13%, Marco Rubio at 12%, John Kasich at 9% and Ben Carson at 5%.
A new Opinion Savvy Poll in South Carolina finds Donald Trump leading the GOP field with 36%, followed by Ted Cruz at 19%, Marco Rubio at 15%, Jeb Bush at 11%, John Kasich at 9% and Ben Carson at 5%.
Washington Post: “And so, the media has flocked South, left taciturn New England behind in search of a quiet spot — the corner booth of a bar, perhaps, or a well-appointed office downtown — hoping to be blessed with those magic words, you didn’t hear this from me, but. South Carolina: home to whisper campaigns, dirty politics, back-alley knife fighters, and other cliches. A land where consultants share shibboleth with bank robbers: No fingerprints, please. It’s a week before the primary, and the Palmetto State is all anonymous fliers and unlisted numbers.”
“In fairness to the natives, South Carolina’s electoral nastiness may be a matter of timing more than geography. The window to win the nomination is rapidly closing, and there’s little advantage in holding back.”
William Kristol reports on a private poll from a “very reputable pollster” in South Carolina that finds Donald Trump leading the GOP race with 32%, followed by Ted Cruz at 26%, Marco Rubio at 20%, Jeb Bush at 10%, Ben Carson at 7% and John Kasich at 2%.
“Take it with the usual grains of salt, but I do trust these were the actual results of an honest and competent pollster doing his best to get an accurate read on the situation.”
The Charleston Post and Courier introduced a digital tool that asks readers to help keep tabs on the coming wave of dirty tricks.
Politico: “This is a state famous for telephone pollsters implying John McCain had an illegitimate child, and the bogus Mitt Romney Christmas card with controversial quotes from the Book of Mormon. Fliers dropped on South Carolina doorsteps have told people the wrong date to vote; this is where political rivals have bantered openly with racial slurs and innuendo about sexual trysts.”
A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll in South Carolina finds Donald Trump leading the GOP presidential race with 36%, followed by Ted Cruz at 20%, Marco Rubio at 14%, Jeb Bush at 9% and Ben Carson at 8%.
In the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton bests Bernie Sanders by a landslide margin, 64% to 27%.
A new Opinion Savvy survey in South Carolina finds Donald Trump leading the GOP presidential field with 32%, followed by Ted Cruz at 18%, Jeb Bush at 13%, Marco Rubio at 11% and Ben Carson at 9%.
“The reality is, if Mrs. Clinton loses Iowa and New Hampshire, that could create new and real problems for her here.”
— Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), quoted by the New York Times, issuing a warning to the Clinton campaign about South Carolina.
National Review: “Unlike Iowa and New Hampshire, where a consensus among insiders has started to cement projecting Cruz and Trump victories, South Carolina remains an electoral enigma. The Palmetto State is more unpredictable than in past cycles due to a host of factors, including a larger and more ideologically fragmented field.”
“But Republicans say four candidates have both the money and organization to survive until the February 20 primary, and all four have competitive claims in the state: Trump sits atop the polls; Cruz has the most enthusiastic followers; Rubio boasts the most experienced organization; and Bush enjoys the deepest reservoir of donor loyalty. Yet none possess traditional x-factors, such as deep southern roots or military experience, that would make them a natural favorite.”
Huffington Post: “Early primaries matter because they establish campaign momentum. The media speaks of Iowa and New Hampshire in hushed tones, and the voters themselves take their first in the nation status most seriously. But, as any South Carolinian will tell you, they are the most consistent bellwether of the Reagan Era. Of the last six open GOP nominations, Iowa correctly picked three winners, New Hampshire four and South Carolina five. The one time all three early states agreed on a nominee was 1980, with Ronald Reagan.”
A new AIF poll in South Carolina finds Donald Trump and Ted Cruz tied in the GOP presidential race at 27%, followed by Marco Rubio at 12%, Ben Carson at 11% and Jeb Bush at 7%.
A new Opinion Savvy poll in South Carolina finds Donald Trump leading the GOP presidential race with 28%, followed by Ted Cruz at 21%, Marco Rubio at 12%, Jeb Bush at 10% and Ben Carson at 10%.
A new Winthrop University poll in South Carolina finds Donald Trump leading with 24%, followed by Ted Cruz at 16%, Ben Carson at 14%, Marco Rubio at 11% and Jeb Bush at 9%.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
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