Former Senator Rick Santorum |
Santorum received 31% of votes cast. Gingrich followed with 14%, and real estate mogul Donald Trump and Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann were tied for third with 7% each.
The 447 delegates also elected long-time party activist Betty Poe as their County Chairman. Poe, President of the South Carolina Federation of Republican Women, faced minor opposition. RINO Hunt leader and conservative activist Harry Kibler was elected Vice Chairman without opposition.
But the big news of the day, nationally, will be Santorum's stunning victory. South Carolina's "first in the South" primary will be key in 2012, as it has been in the past. Santorum received a big boost today on the road to the White House.