Trump leads GOP rivals to S.C.
Kasich rising; Clinton falling
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Hoping for survival in the South, a muddled field of Republican presidential contenders descended Wednesday on South Carolina, no closer to clarity about who can stand between Donald Trump and their party’s nomination.
Not me, Carly Fiorina announced, dropping out of the campaign. A Chris Christie spokeswoman said his race was over, too. But a sizable field remained.
Now, all signs point to a drawn-out battle for delegates following Trump’s resounding victory in New Hampshire. And a new name was in play Wednesday as the Republicans look for a mainstream alternative to Trump — John Kasich.
The Ohio governor was at 2 percent in national polls before Tuesday’s New Hampshire vote and has the lowest name recognition of the major candidates. But his message of pragmatic and compassionate conservatism appealed to enough New Hampshire voters to land him in second place Tuesday, behind
Donald Trump.
So his campaign launched what it called “Act Two,” Wednesday. In order to capitalize on the surprising momentum Kasich picked up in New Hampshire, the campaign needs a quick, massive financial infusion, it has to create a political network in many states almost from scratch and it has to wait a month before a primary is held in its next big target of Michigan.
Tom Rath, who advised Kasich in New Hampshire and will remain part of the national team, said Wednesday that Kasich can succeed by focusing on a careful allocation of resources in difficult states during the next month and then breaking out in Michigan on March 8 and in states such as Ohio and Illinois on March 15.
On the Democratic side, the scope of Bernie Sanders’ victory over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire became clearer. Sanders, a senator from Vermont, won 60 percent of the vote to Clinton’s 38.
According to exit polls, Sanders beat Clinton in every demographic group except voters older than 65, nonwhites and those with family incomes over $200,000. He won female voters by 11 points, 55 percent to 44 percent. He won 7 in 10 women under 45. He scored 85 percent among 17-to-29-year-olds.
Clinton’s declining support among woman, who would seem a natural constituency for her, is alarming Democratic Party leaders, who have assumed from the start that she would be the nominee because she could count on female voters eager to put the first woman in the Oval Office.
But if Clinton is losing ground to Sanders among women, she can still count on the support of African-Americans, who will wield greater influence in the upcoming states. With the coalition she’s assembled, and strong support in the black community, Clintonites remain outwardly confident that she will eventually beat Sanders.
“Last night’s loss doesn’t change my confidence in the secretary becoming the Democratic nominee,” said Robert Wolf, chief executive officer of 32 Advisors, who backed Barack Obama over Clinton in 2008 and now supports the former secretary of state. “I never thought it would be a straight path to the general without any bumps on the road, as it never is.”
What’s next? For Democrats, the Nevada caucuses are Feb. 20 and the South Carolina primary is Feb. 27. For Republicans, their South Carolina primary is Feb. 20 and the Nevada caucuses are Feb. 23.
But first comes a Democrat ic debate ton ig ht in Milwaukee and then a Republican debate Saturday in Greenville, South Carolina.