Gingrich in Strong Shape as SC Votes

He leads last poll by 9 points
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 21, 2012 9:07 AM CST
South Carolina Primary: Newt Gingrich Leads Final Poll by 9 Points Heading Into Voting
South Carolina voters wait in line to vote at the Amicks Ferry Fire Station in Chapin, S.C., Saturday.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

They're voting in South Carolina, and things are looking rosy for Newt Gingrich. The last Public Policy Polling survey before the polls opened has him up 38-27 over Mitt Romney, with Rick Santorum (16) and Ron Paul (14) behind. If anything, the "open-marriage" interview given by his wife (or Gingrich's defiant reaction to it) seems to have helped him, writes PPP. That may be because only 31% think she's telling the truth.

Normally, a 9-point lead on the eve of voting would signal a slam dunk, but the polling website is a little wary about that. It even references this Huffington Post analysis by Mark Blumenthal on why it's wise to "expect the unexpected" today. At the New York Times, meanwhile, Nate Silver's latest number-crunching gives Gingrich an 82% chance of victory. (More South Carolina primary stories.)

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