VideoCOLUMBIA, S.C., Jan. 20, 2008
McCain Defeats Huckabee, Wins S.C. Primary
Economy A Top Issue In Exit Polls; Jan. 29 Fla. Primary Is Next
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Play CBS Video Video McCain Wins In South Carolina Sen. John McCain continued his surge to the head of the Republican pack with a narrow victory over Mike Huckabee in the South Carolina GOP Primary. CBS News' Karen Brown reports.
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Video Huckabee: 'We Got Awful Close' "CBS News RAW": Speaking in S.C. after placing second in the state's GOP primary, Mike Huckabee reassures supporters: "This is not an event. It is a process. And the process is far, far from over."
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Video Thompson: 'Stand Strong' "CBS News RAW": Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson urged his friends and supporters to "stand strong" after he lost the South Carolina primary.
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Republican presidential hopeful, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, gives a double thumbs-up to the crowd during a watch party campaign event at The Citadel, in Charleston, S.C., Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008. (AP)
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Republican presidential hopeful, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, speaks at his election night watch party in Columbia, S.C. Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008. (AP)
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Interactive Campaign 2008 Profiles of the candidates, polls, fund-raising, blogs, video and more.
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News Tools Campaign Calendar The latest list of primary and caucus dates as states continue jockeying for position.
"It just took us awhile, that's all," McCain said in an interview with the Associated Press. "Eight years is not a long time." (Watch McCain Video)
With almost all precincts reporting, McCain had 33 percent of the vote to Huckabee's 30 percent. The win gives McCain a boost headed into the Jan. 29 primary in Florida, where polls indicate a tight race.
Asked if he was now the front-runner for the GOP nomination, McCain demurred.
"I don't know," he said, "we like to run from behind."
Still, he expressed optimism going forward.
"I'm very confident that we'll win in Florida," he said. "We showed that the first-in-the-South primary is a very important victory, and it gives us a very important progress that we can carry right through Florida and February 5th," he said.
Complete South Carolina Returns
"This is not an event. It is a process, and the process is far, far from over," he said as about 400 supporters cheered. (Watch Huckabee video)
The closely contested state was crucial for Huckabee, who needed to prove his victory in the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses was no fluke.
A former Baptist minister, Huckabee had hoped grass-roots support from born-again Christians would help him outflank McCain's superior campaign finances and organization of McCain, winner of the Jan. 8 New Hampshire primary.
Fred Thompson, at 16 percent, and Mitt Romney, at 15 percent, were in a tight race for a distant third place. Rudy Giuliani, once the national front-runner, had only 2 percent of the vote, half of that won by Ron Paul.
Republican voters headed to polls across South Carolina on Saturday with two forecasts in mind: their history of correctly tapping the eventual GOP nominee, and a more immediate prediction of snow that threatened to dampen turnout, especially in conservative northern communities.
But their top concern when it came to casting their ballot appeared to be the economy, according to CBS News early exit polling. It was cited by 40 percent of voters as their top concern, followed by illegal immigration at 26 percent.
Huckabee, who polls showed deadlocked with McCain for the lead headed into Saturday's vote, has emphasized economic issues, along with aggressively courting evangelical voters, who were estimated to make up nearly 60 percent of Saturday's turnout. Huckabee won 40 percent of their vote, compared to 27 percent for McCain.
But McCain held a big edge on the question of who was more likely to beat the Democratic nominee in November, with 42 percent choosing him over Huckabee, who only 22 percent said he would be the best general election candidate.
The exit polling indicates about one-third of voters made up their minds in the past three days, and that independent voters comprised about 19 percent of the electorate, down significantly from 2000, when independents made up 30 percent of the turnout. However, 39 percent of them backed McCain, compared to 22 percent for Huckabee. Among registered Republicans, the two were split evenly.
"John McCain avenged his 2000 loss in South Carolina and scored in an important symbolic state for Republicans," said CBSNews.com Senior Political Editor Vaughn Ververs. "No Republican has won their party's nomination without winning the South Carolina primary. But Florida and Super Tuesday are on the horizon and nothing is sure in this topsy-turvy contest."
In Florida, McCain, Romney and Huckabee will all be seeking to add to their win totals, and Giuliani will be seeking his first win. The former New York mayor has largely eschewed early, small states in the hope that winning Florida will allow him to win other large states that vote on Feb. 5.
"We're waiting for you," Giuliani said, addressing his GOP rivals at a Florida campaign stop. "We're waiting for you with a campaign we've been working on for I think almost a year."
Saturday's result was a disappointment for Thompson, who had invested large amounts of time and money in South Carolina in an effort to turn around his campaign. Once seen as someone who could rally the party's conservative base, he has failed to perform well in early contests.
"Our country needs strong leadership, needs our party to step up, assume the battle of leadership again," Thompson said to his South Carolina supporters before results were released. "But we need to remember that we need to deserve to lead and that's what all this about is deserving to lead." (Watch Thompson video)
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More From Politics
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
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See all 134 Commentswww.youtube.com/watch?v=jHQ7Prwh7Gc
Setting aside the issue of whether a President can pardon himself, this bill violates the ex post facto provision of the Constitution. Note: Talk about knowing you are a war criminal and seeking a pardon BEFORE being legally charged by an institution of justice for the crime, this admission of guilt pales in comparison to any other suspicion or conspiracy theorist.
Buzzflash.com
BUT, you step outside and everyone is as friendly to one another as can be. All flower and ice cream. Why don''t you speak like this when eye to eye? Because you''re a bunch of yellow bellied cowards!
No wonder we''re in the shape we''re in. You''re so afraid of facing up to your disagreements that the wound festers. Go ahead, keep hiding it till it consumes you beyond repair.
If you can''t say it out there, don''t type it on here!
McCain''s a good candidate, family man, patriotic, good American, but is kind of close to pasture.
Take it to the gay porn sites, creep.
You would be neocon, it figures...
When did Jesus become a Republican?
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/4edd96290c
God loves you and wants you to share in His love for you through Christ! I am glad you do not take stock in false Christianity that is in the airwaves. But you can know Christ crucified in your life in the real way!
Posted by BaghdadsHere at 06:07 PM : Jan 20, 2008
Yeah - this from the moron that says Saddam Hussein was a "good guy" while he was gassing his own people and the Iranians.
Hell, Baggy probably helped him - he was there while Hussein used them.
Nevada. It was Romney, Paul, McCain and it dosen''t matter who the rest are.....
I don''t know that there has ever been a worse candidate than Huckabee. He is woefully out of touch, he has no concept of current events, except for the little Spears girl getting pregnant (raised eyebrow), he has no foreign policy, no immigration policy, and no economic policy. His only political record is his failed tenure as a governor and his biggest accomplishment there was pardoning 1200 crooks. What a loser. The only worse candidates would be Bush or Cheney, and even then it would be close.
Otherwise, what else could he hope to achieve?
We want Mitt Romney not John McCain.
GO MITT !!
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