The
South Carolina Republican Primary was held on Saturday, 19th January. The results declared Senator
John McCain as the winner, scoring a marginal 33 – 30% victory over his closest challenger Mike Huckabee. South Carolina has traditionally been a Republican stronghold. It has also been a state with an electoral pattern heavily polarized on racial lines. The strong African-American population of the state has been traditionally Democrats, whereas the white population, which accounts for about 80% of the state’s total population, has mostly been Republican loyalists.
The primary results of South Carolina have successfully predicted the Republican Presidential candidate from 1980 onwards. The state has further played a highly significant role in the selection of the Presidential nomination since 1988. The results for the South Carolina Republican primary were thus eagerly awaited by political enthusiasts around the globe.
The declaration of the results of the South Carolina primary was followed by wild celebrations from the McCain supporters. It was from this very State that Sen. McCain crushed out of the Presidential race eight years ago. Speaking to a packed house of Republican delegates after his win, McCain did not miss out on the drama when he said:
‘It took us a while, but what’s eight years among friends?’ His statement was received with wild applause amidst cries of ‘Mac is back!’
John McCain has indicated that it was his strong stance on the Iraq war and the terrorism issue that have helped him to win the confidence of the voters. It is also generally believed that a major section of the veteran voters, who made up a quarter of the total electoral strength, have voted heavily for him because of his experience. This win, after the victory in New Hampshire, has placed McCain on a very strong position before the Florida caucus, which is next in line. However, he is expected to face steep competition there from Rudy Giuliani, who has been fiercely campaigning in Florida for the past two months.
The South Carolina result was a big disappointment for Sen. Huckabee. He congratulated McCain, but stated that this primary was not an end but simply a part of an ongoing legislative process. Exit poll reports have revealed that a substantial percentage of the evangelical Christian voters voted against him. It was quite against the expectation as Huckabee was a Baptist preacher and a former governor of Arkansas. With the loss at South Carolina, it seems that the Presidential run for Sen. Huckabee has suffered a heavy setback. It remains doubtful whether he will be able to garner similar support in the forthcoming caucuses and primaries.
South Carolina also marked the end of the road for actor-politician and Republican Fred. D. Thompson. Securing only 16 percent of the votes, Thompson was a distant third in the primary result. It was a heavy blow to his Presidential venture, and he finally withdrew his candidacy on Tuesday, 22nd January, issuing a brief public statement.
With the win, McCain has now emerged as a strong candidate and is expected to pose a serious challenge to Mitt Romney in the forthcoming primaries. Romney has already won the caucuses of Wyoming, New Hampshire and his home-state Nevada. The South Carolina result has also helped to narrow down the race for the Republican nomination to three potential candidates: John McCain, Mitt Romney and
Rudy Giuliani, provided Giuliani wins the Florida Caucus.
