South Carolina Republican Primary Results

McCain wins South Carolina republican primary. In a very closely contested race in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary, John McCain pulled out a huge win over Mike Huckabee.

With votes from over two-thirds of the precincts in, John McCain was holding a lead of 34% to Mike Huckabee's 29%. Fred Thompson was polling third with about 16% of the votes. Thompson said earlier that he needed a strong showing in South Carolina to maintain any momentum in his campaign.

McCain said that his win in South Carolina showed that his campaign could roll right through the Florida primary and build some serious momentum heading into Super Tuesday on February 5^th. "I know it's not easy," McCain said to the Associated Press, "and we've got a long way to go."

McCain might indeed have a long way to go, but his victory in South Carolina puts him in the poll position at this point in the race. McCain has now won two of the biggest primaries to date, New Hampshire and South Carolina, while his opponents have been getting smaller state wins. Huckabee won the starter in Iowa, while Romney won Michigan, Wyoming and Nevada.

Eight years ago, South Carolina is where McCain saw his presidential hopes die out, but this time around a victory in South Carolina could give McCain the momentum he needs to win the republican presidential nomination.

Exit polls conducted during the South Carolina primaries should that McCain and Huckabee were splitting the votes among the republican voters, but that McCain was winning the support of the registered independent voters, which put him over the top in the Palmetto State.

The economy was the top issue among the voters in South Carolina and voters leaving the polls said that immigration was their second-biggest concern. This mirrors what most voters have said in the previous primary state.

The South Carolina primary has gone to the eventual winner of the republican presidential nomination every time since 1980. This looks to be a good sign for McCain.