South Carolina Primary Primer of the Day: Now that Rick Santorum has been declared the official winner of the Iowa caucuses, and Chuck Norris has declared his endorsement for Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney is no longer looking like a sure thing.
Indeed, preparations for a possible loss in South Carolina are already being made, with New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu telling reporters to expect “a long slog.”
Gingrich, who was a lost cause just two weeks ago, has since surged past Romney in South Carolina, buoyed by attack ads he once claimed to despise, and a well-timed backlash against the not-shocking-enough interview with second ex-wife Marianne.
Nate Silver, who had Gingrich losing by double digits after New Hampshire, now gives the new frontrunner an 82% chance of winning South Carolina. Nationally, things are looking just as grim for Romney, who is hanging on to his lead by a 10% thread.
Back in South Carolina, voter turnout in the Lowcounty was slow to start, but has since picked up. This may be good news for Romney, who needs as many moderate coastal voters as he can get to improve his chances of winning.
Still, Romney’s campaign may not be content with leaving anything up to chance. BYU students and other Mormon youths from neighboring states have reportedly been bused in to help the candidate’s cause. A Romney camp spokeswoman later denied funding charter buses to bring in supporters.
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