Countdown to SC
TODAY
S.C. GOP primary and Nevada Democratic caucuses
Tuesday
Nevada GOP caucuses
7
Days until S.C. Democratic primary on Feb. 27
S.C.: The Iowa of the Southeast?
Saturday’s GOP primary should be U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s contest to lose. Cruz won Iowa, buoyed by evangelical voters, who hold almost as much clout in S.C. The S.C. primary also should be similar to Iowa in the lower number of non-Republicans who vote.
Evangelicals: S.C. like Iowa
Percentage of voters who were self-described evangelicals in Iowa and New Hampshire compared to the expected evangelical turnout in S.C.:
Iowa: 64%
New Hampshire: 23%
South Carolina: 62%
Independents: Less of a factor here?
Percentage of voters who were independents compared to expected S.C. turnout:
Iowa: 20%
New Hampshire: 36%
South Carolina: 17%
Or is it New Hampshire?
Some good news, perhaps, for Donald Trump and John Kasich — politically, S.C. is more like New Hampshire than Iowa. Also, the economy is a more important issue in S.C.
Conservatives: S.C. more like New Hampshire?
Percentage of GOP voters who said they were somewhat or very conservative:
Iowa: 85%
New Hampshire: 74%
South Carolina: 76%
Issues: It’s the economy, baby
Where top issues rank among GOP voters:
The economy/jobs: 39% in S.C. vs. 32% in New Hampshire and 27% in Iowa
Terrorism/foreign policy: 31% in S.C. vs. 29% in New Hampshire and 25% in Iowa
Immigration: 15% in New Hampshire vs. 13% in Iowa and 10% in S.C.
NOTE: Iowa and New Hampshire results from entrance and exit polls, respectively; S.C. results from Public Policy and CNN polls of likely voters in the GOP primary
This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 11:26 PM with the headline "Countdown to SC."