USA: Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich hopes to be helped by a last minute poll surge, as South Carolina votes for an opposition challenger to Barack Obama

Record ID: 346496

  • Title: USA: Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich hopes to be helped by a last minute poll surge, as South Carolina votes for an opposition challenger to Barack Obama
  • Date: 22nd January 2012
  • Summary: WOMAN WITH BABY SIGNING IN
  • Embargoed: 6th February 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa, Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA21FE3HCKVWR4D7EXXTLPNIMP
  • Story Text: A constant steam of voters cast their ballots for their chosen Republican presidential candidates on Saturday (January 21, 2012) at the Woodlands precinct in Columbia, South Carolina.
    Of five people interviewed leaving the polling station by Reuters Television, three said they voted for Newt Gingrich, one for Rick Santorum and one for Mitt Romney.
    "I voted for Newt Gingrich in this primary because I really felt like he did the best job in the debates, I felt like he has the experience that is needed to lead this country forward and I had some concerns over Romney," Ryan Barnes, a banker, said.
    Sharon Morgan, 59, from Columbia, said she voted for Gingrich because of his "conservative position."
    "I am willing to go with him all the way to the presidency," she said.
    Harley Morgan, her husband, said he was also supporting Gingrich.
    "I voted for Newt Gingrich. It is my feeling he probably is the most experienced type of person for us right now," he said.
    John McDougall, a lawyer, said he voted for Mitt Romney after deciding between the former Massachusetts governor and Rick Santorum.
    "I thought Romney is the one who could possibly win the election at the end of the year," he said.
    36-year-old Michelle McDonnell cast her vote for Rick Santorum based the issues she felt he represented.
    " I voted for Rick Santorum and that is just because I felt like he was more conservative on most of the issues," she said.
    Voting continues across the southern state on Saturday until the polls close at 1900 local time (0000 GMT).
    Saturday's election is a crucial test for the four remaining contenders. Since 1980, every winner of the South Carolina Republican presidential primary has gone on to win the party nomination.
    In recent days Gingrich has made a sudden surge in the polls, presenting Romney with the biggest challenge yet in months of campaigning to become the Republican who will face President Barack Obama in November.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains identifiable children: users must ensure that they comply with local laws and regulations governing the publishing of this material.
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