By Paul Gable
After nearly two weeks of non-stop mudslinging, Republican presidential primary candidates can sit back and see whose negative ads were most successful.
Or maybe not.
Voters will go to polls Saturday February 20 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to vote for the Republican of their choice. The Democratic presidential primary is Saturday February 27.
Those voters who cast a ballot in the Republican primary are not eligible to also vote in the Democratic primary.
Acceptable forms of ID to vote are driver’s license or other DMV ID, passport, military ID, or SC voter registration card.
I have spoken to several staunch Republicans in Horry County who plan to forego their own party’s primary in order to vote for Bernie Sanders in a week. As a group they support Donald Trump and feel confident in their favorite’s ability to win the South Carolina primary without their vote. Instead, they are in a “stop Hillary” frame of mind.
If polls are to be believed, Trump is on his way to a second straight primary victory. Ted Cruz is currently polling ahead of Marco Rubio for second with Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Ben Carson rounding out the field in that order.
Personally, I see Trump winning with Rubio scoring a surprise second and Cruz third. Rubio remains the choice of a majority of the Republican establishment while the Bush campaign continues to founder.
But, it looks more like a brokered convention is in the offing for the Republicans, the only hope that keeps the Bush candidacy alive.
According to reports, more than 51,000 absentee primary ballots, a total for both primaries, have already been returned, which sets a new record for absentee primary balloting.
If nothing else, look for a possible record turnout in the Republican primary as the large field continues to bring voters to the polls.
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