South Carolina Republicans head to the polls tomorrow, but Thursday's events were just as interesting: Texas Governor Rick Perry dropped out and endorsed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who had been surging in recent polls; certified results for the Iowa caucuses revealed that former Senator Rick Santorum had actually won the most votes; and Gingrich's second wife mixed things up a-bit even further in this already intense day via a high profile interview; over at the White House, President Barack Obama would no doubt have a smiled as he watched this spectacle - had he not come privy to highly troubling polling data showing that he is still shedding support among independent voters. U.S. presidential elections are never boring. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is still poised to become the eventual GOP challenger to Obama come election day on Nov. 6. But out of the blue, an unrelenting and determined Gingrich is gaining ground in the polls, and for good reasons. POLITICO reported Thursday that likely South Carolina voters believe he outperformed all the other candidates in debates so far. Among those who watched all or almost all of the 16 Republican primary debates so far, 49 percent support Gingrich, with only 23 backing Romney. The latest data provides Gingrich with enough justification for not throwing in the towel like Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman and Texas Governor Rick Perry. Romney's candidacy, as noted, has so far failed to catch among South Carolinian voters. Conservative primary voters view Gingrich as the preferred alternative. South Carolina will tell us exactly how prevalent this mind set is. But for now, Romney is still leading in the polls in predominantly conservative South Carolina. The newly announced Iowa tally is likely to have almost zero impact on the final outcome of the race, but it definitely has symbolic significance. No longer can Romney claim to have made history in 2012, as he is no longer the first non-incumbent primary contender to win both Iowa and New Hampshire; that is, unless he makes history by winning the presidency ... Gingrich hopes to have the South Carolina primary go down as one of his accomplishments. He harbors a desire for a two-man race against Romney, as this gives him the best chance to get the nomination. While Gingrich still hopes to upset Romney, the latter is still defined as the one "leading in the polls." Meanwhile, President Obama has enough to worry about. A new New York Times/CBS poll shows independent voters might abandon him come November, with about two thirds of those who call themselves independent saying he has not made real progress on the economy. Without securing the independent vote, Obama is in big trouble. This may explain why the Republicans are still relentlessly attacking each other.
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