Polls open in key S Carolina primary

Newt Gingrich

Voters began casting ballots in South Carolina yesterday for in a pivotal Republican presidential primary, in which former House speaker Newt Gingrich eyes an upset win.
Balloting began across the state at 7:00am, as scheduled.
Gingrich and longtime frontrunner Mitt Romney crisscrossed the state ahead of the primary, mindful that no Republican since 1980 has captured the party's nomination without first winning this southern bastion.
A Clemson University poll released on the eve of the primary here showed Gingrich with a six-point lead over Romney, 32 to 26 percent, with Texas Congressman Ron Paul in third place with 11 percent and former US senator Rick Santorum at nine percent.
Gingrich has not won a primary yet. Santorum squeaked out a victory in Iowa caucuses earlier this month while Romney triumphed in New Hampshire.