Free Republic

CHARLESTON, S.C.-- Seven days ago, it looked like Mitt Romney was going to walk away from the South Carolina Republican presidential primary with a 3-0 record: The former Massachusetts governor had a twenty-point lead in Palmetto state polls, and had recently achieved what looked like a historic one-two punch in Iowa and New Hampshire. Tonight, following Romney's loss to Newt Gingrich in the third-in-the-nation primary, and in light of the news that Rick Santorum received 34 more votes than Romney in Iowa, the candidate's record is 1-2 instead -- and he's headed down to Florida without the sense of inevitability...

Romney aides tell Fox News they expect a second place finish based on exit polls.

The winner of the South Carolina primary has gone on to be the Republican presidential nominee for 30 straight years — and that could be bad news for Mitt Romney, who suddenly finds himself in a real battle with Newt Gingrich in Saturday's vote. Polls suggest support for the former House speaker has surged since his fiery performance in Thursday night's candidates' debate, giving him a slight lead over the former Massachusetts governor and a good chance of grabbing all 25 of the state’s delegates. The two other candidates — former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum and Texas congressman Ron Paul...

CLEMSON, S.C. — With polls opening in less than 24 hours for the important South Carolina presidential primary election, the final Palmetto Poll shows Newt Gingrich leading over Mitt Romney in a gritty battle fraught with personal attacks and breaking news about the candidates’ personal lives.That’s the finding of the third Clemson University 2012 Palmetto Poll, a sample of 429 South Carolina GOP voters who indicated they plan to vote Saturday. The telephone poll was initiated Jan. 13 and recalibrated Jan. 18-19 to measure changing dynamics. Twenty percent of the likely voters remain undecided.“We expect a reaction by the...

Rick Perry Trounces Romney In ZOGBY/NEWSMAX POLL John G. Winder, The Cypress Times June 28, 2011 - 1:48 p.m. CST Texas Governor Rick Perry gets 55% of the vote to Romney’s 22%Despite the mainstream media's best offers to give the Republican nomination for president to Mitt Romney before anyone has actually voted, a Zogby/Newsmax polls shows again how incredibly vulnerable Romney is, and how much conservatives dislike the man. In a recent Zogby/Newsmax survey of likely Republican primary voters, Rick Perry destroys Mitt Romney basically across the board in a head-to-head matchup. Newsmax reports:“No matter which way you look at...