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COLUMBIA: Republican White House hopeful Newt Gingrich walloped rival and longtime frontrunner Mitt Romney in South Carolina's primary, dramatically reshaping the topsy-turvy race.
The former House speaker, repeatedly declared politically dead over the past year, surged Saturday to a shock victory in the battle to become the party's standard-bearer against Democratic President Barack Obama in November 6 elections.
With 100 percent of the precincts counted, Gingrich had captured 40.4 per cent of the vote, compared to 27.9 per cent for Romney.
Gingrich triumphantly cast his insurgent win here as a blow delivered by Americans “who feel that the elites in Washington and New York have no understanding, no care, no concern, no reliability and in fact do not represent them at all.”
The result destroyed the aura of invincibility that had cloaked Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and had made him the man to beat in a race that now moves to Florida for its primary on January 31.
“We need to build on this victory by going to Florida. I need your help,”Gingrich told cheering supporters, asking supporters to help him bridge the fundraising chasm separating him from Romney's potent campaign machine.
“This race is getting to be even more interesting,” Romney told cheering supporters packed into a room dressed up as though for a victory rally before congratulating Gingrich for “a hard-fought campaign.”
”I don't shrink from competition. I embrace it. I believe competition makes us all better. I know it's making our campaign stronger,” added the multi-millionaire investor, who is leading in the Florida opinion polls.
South Carolina marked Gingrich's first triumph after Christian conservative former senator Rick Santorum squeaked out a victory in Iowa and Romney romped home in New Hampshire, dividing up the electoral spoils and bragging rights.
After a tussle for third place in South Carolina, Santorum was at 17 per cent with libertarian congressman Ron Paul on 13 per cent.
Gingrich's win rekindled doubts about whether the relatively moderate Romney, the favorite among the party's establishment, can rally its conservative core which views him with suspicion.
Voters said they had chosen Gingrich over Romney because of the former speaker's perceived toughness that they expect him to demonstrate in the contest against President Obama.
