With almost all of the votes counted, McCain narrowly defeated fundamentalist Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, 33 to 30 percent. It is telling that in this first-in-the-deep-south primary, the religious conservative candidate finished second. It is also telling that about a third of the Republican party seems to resonate to Hucakabee's message. Is this the same group of people who support President Bush through thick-and-thin?
There were only 24 delegates at stake in South Carolina; the GOP had penalized the state for holding its primary before 5 February. South Carolina has about twice the population -- and thus twice the clout -- of Nevada which held caucuses (and took the same penalty) the same day.
McCain won the most delegates in Saturday's almost bi-coastal race; he won 19 in South Carolina and 4 in Nevada. Mitt Romney won 17 in Nevada, but leads in the overall delegate count, according to AP.
- Mitt Romney -- 59 delegates
- Mike Huckabee -- 40 delegates
- John McCain -- 36 delegates
A candidate needs 1,191 delegates to secure the Republican nomination; about half of the delegate total is up for grabs on 5 February, mega-Tuesday.
See How Does the South Carolina Primary Work? ... How Do Nevada Caucuses Work? ... State Politics At A Glance: South Carolina ... 2008 Election Central

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