How Gingrich Won SC— Conservatives

So how did Newt Gingrich pull off his stunning upset in South Carolina yesterday? Unsurprisingly, by appealing to conservatives, writes Politico. Exit polls indicate that 45% of people calling themselves "very conservative" went to Gingrich, vs. 20% to Rick Santorum and 10% to Ron Paul—Mitt Romney took just 20% of them. Gingrich also won among "somewhat conservative" voters and independents. Romney won "moderate or liberal" voters.

More surprising, however, is how Gingrich did even better when it comes to electability—45% of voters said that defeating President Obama was the most important factor in their decision, and 48% of them went to the former speaker. Romney came in second with 39%, vs. just 8% for Santorum and 5% for Paul. Gingrich also scored well with women voters, traditionally his weak spot, taking 38%, compared to 30% for Romney. The only major demographic that Gingrich lost was with young voters, aged 18-29, which went to Paul. (More South Carolina primary stories.)