Donald Trump secures big win in SC primary

While the real estate magnate scored a decisive win in New Hampshire, his second-place finish in Iowa to Cruz illustrated gaps in his less-than-robust ground operation, and questions remain about the extent to which he can translate leads in preference polls and large rally crowds into votes. With a win expected, Trump would build momentum as voting moves toward the pivotal Super Tuesday, when 20 percent of all Republican delegates will be awarded. So, unless Kasich’s support plummets before then, he could well draw enough support to prevent Rubio from winning some states, or to push him under the threshold necessary to get delegates in other states. He said he really liked Jeb Bush, but couldn’t cast his vote for the former Florida governor as his position in the polls faded. Tim Scott. Rubio is also trying to fend off attacks from Cruz and Bush as each seeks to become the main alternative to Trump in the weeks ahead. To get live, constantly updated raw results from the SC primary without commentary or video, go to the Washington Post at this link, or Politico at this link.

Rubio was looking for a strong performance on Saturday to validate the comeback story he has been building after slumping to fifth place in New Hampshire.

For Cruz, even a second-place finish in SC would be something of a disappointment.

Elsewhere in the U.S., Nevada will be hosting a Democratic caucus, with the field narrowed down to two: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who are now running neck-and-neck in the polls.

Rubio won the endorsement of South Carolina’s popular governor, Nikki Haley, on Wednesday and she was at his side the rest of the week as he campaigned statewide.

South Carolina GOP chairman Matt Moore told CNN that anywhere between 650,000 and 700,000 voters will take to the polls, an all-time record. The share of self-described born again Christians increased from four years ago – up to 73 percent compared to 65 percent in 2012. His team has made much of Rubio’s having missed many hearings and votes as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

So far, all signs point toward a big win for Donald Trump in SC. He swept almost every county in the state, though Rubio carried Charleston County and Richland County, which includes the state capital of Columbia.

Bush finished sixth in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses and fourth in New Hampshire. And his win came in spite of several controversies in the past week that have had little impact on his dominance – as usual this election cycle.

There’s a lot of attention on Jeb Bush as South Carolina Republican vote in their presidential primary.

About half of caucus attendees said they think the next president should generally continue President Barack Obama’s policies, while about 4 in 10 said they want the next president to have more liberal policies. A solid showing in SC by Rubio would put intense pressure on both, but especially Bush, to drop out. Bush has deep family ties in the state and campaigned alongside his mother, the former first lady, and his brother, former President George W. Bush.