McCain beats Huckabee in South Carolina showdown
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- John McCain defeated Mike Huckabee in the South Carolina Republican primary on Saturday, giving the Arizona senator a boost as the wide-open nomination fight heads to Florida.
McCain's victory adds to his win in New Hampshire last week and reverses the outcome of 2000, when he lost a bitter primary fight to George W. Bush. It also meant another stunning comeback for McCain, who had to lay off staff and scale back campaign operations last summer because of poor fundraising.
"It took us a while," McCain said, entering the alumni center at The Citadel to the theme from the movie, Rocky. "But what's eight years among friends?"
The senator acknowledged South Carolina's historic role in the GOP nomination, noting that the state primary winner has gone on to become the party's standard bearer since 1980. McCain's supporters cheered enthusiastically, chanting "Mac is Back" and "U-S-A," as their candidate vowed to win the Florida primary on Jan. 29.
The GOP race, however, is far from clear, as Mitt Romney easily won the Nevada caucuses on Saturday. The former Massachusetts governor has three wins, including Michigan and the little-noticed Wyoming caucuses. Huckabee took the Iowa caucuses, the first nominating contest of the year.
Amy Walter, editor in chief of The Hotline, a political newsletter, said McCain and Romney should be considered the GOP front-runners — for now.
"I don't think anybody believes it's over," she said.
Huckabee congratulated McCain by telephone for running a "civil and a good and decent campaign" and vowed to press forward.
"We didn't lose tonight," Huckabee told his supporters in Columbia. The "game ended a little early for us. ...The path to the White House is not ending tonight."
Democrats, meanwhile, hold their party's primary in South Carolina on Jan. 26. The Nevada caucuses on Saturday appeared to produce a split decision. Hillary Rodham Clinton won the vote count among those who participated in the caucuses, but Barack Obama claimed a slight advantage in national convention delegates on the strength of his showing in rural areas.
Florida and beyond
Pat Caddell, a former Democratic pollster and now an analyst on Fox News Channel, said in an interview that Romney's lead among GOP delegates is "meaningless" because California and New York are among the states that will hold primaries on Feb. 5.
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