It is too early to speak of a dramatic change in the Republican race, but Newt Gingrich certainly turned the tables in South Carolina. Mitt Romney, the establishment candidate, envisioned himself arriving at the Florida primary on Jan. 31 with three states in his pocket, but so far he has won only in New Hampshire. Gingrich, meanwhile, succeeded in finding the formula that united the evangelists, the conservatives and the anti-elite, anti-establishment Tea Partiers. The contest in Florida will be super interesting: Romney has money and organization, Gingrich has experience and rhetorical ability and Florida has Jews. Just last week, Romney had a sizable lead in the polls coming into the South Carolina primary and Gingrich's ex-wife gave a revealing television interview that was supposed to eliminate the former House Speaker's chances of success. But Gingrich's biting response like a bulldog to CNN reporter John King's opening question at the debate and his two subsequent "performances" in Myrtle Beach and Charleston made all the difference. Get the Israel Hayom newsletter sent to your mailbox! Many were surprised by Gingrich's impressive South Carolina victory, except for ... Gingrich. He never stopped believing. At a dinner in his honor, held at a Georgetown restaurant on the evening of the vote, 30 people were supposed to attend. Instead, 350 people showed up, including some who claimed not to have been at such an event since the Reagan era. Reagan, you may recall, only stopped at the White House. For 32 years, South Carolina has successfully identified the winner of the Republican primaries. Gingrich, the history professor, is not afraid of Romney. In fact, the opposite is true. When two town hall meetings were scheduled for them at the same place and time, Romney came 45 minutes early and left quickly after learning of the mix-up. Gingrich was quick to exploit it and suggested that Romney was a coward. Gingrich was keen for a showdown. Meanwhile, he has earned the nickname "the gladiator" in debates. In general, Gingrich has little appreciation for Romney: "Why nominate the guy who lost to the guy who lost to Obama-" Gingrich asked. Gingrich has gained momentum: Suddenly Romney appears hesitant, as if he has something to hide. Suddenly Romney is the establishment candidate who represents Washington and New York, all the things that Republican voters dislike. In South Carolina, Romney won his usual average of around 27 percent a figure he cannot seem to rise above. Gingrich, meanwhile, is a dominant force when it comes to three issues important to conservative voters: the economy, social and foreign policy and security. Now all eyes are turned to Florida, a state where half a million Jews reside. So what if most of them voted for the Democrats in 2008? Gingrich has not won and Romney is not finished. There is still a long struggle ahead. "This is a marathon, not a sprint," said candidate Ron Paul. Gingrich can be encouraged by the following statistic: 51% of the voters in South Carolina view him as the candidate who can beat Obama, compared with Romney's 37%. This is new. But another figure may please Gingrich even more: Among married women in South Carolina, 39% voted for him, as opposed to 29% for Romney.
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