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After debate, Trump still tops SC GOP presidential race

Donald Trump still is leading the S.C. Republican presidential race after the weekend’s explosive GOP debate in Greenville.

But the race for second place in Saturday’s primary appears to be narrowing.

Grading the Republicans on S.C. Debate

The six remaining Republican presidential candidates met over the weekend for a debate in South Carolina, and the reviews seem to suggest that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush helped his campaign the most and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio also turned in a far better performance than he did in New Hampshire. Here’s how The Hill wrote up the Bush performance, after labeling him a “winner” of the event:

GOP debate winners and losers

Bush delivered his best debate performance when he needed it most.

He stood up to Trump ... Read More >>

Marco Rubio’s play for South Carolina’s religious conservatives is anything but subtle.

His events here start with prayer and his soundtrack is heavy on Christian rock. The first-term Senator from Florida tells audiences that members of his family are living paycheck-to-paycheck so they can send their children to “faith-based schools.”

The CBS News Battleground Tracker poll shows that Donald Trump keeps a large lead in South Carolina, bolstered by support from conservatives and also from evangelical voters, who make up a large share of the electorate here.

After the frenetic one-two step of the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, the Republican presidential contest zooms to South Carolina, a state that typically favors establishment candidates. But this year, voters’ attention is tuned to Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, the victors of the early contests—and candidates who have alarmed the party by bucking the establishment order.

How Scalia’s death could affect the race for the 2016 GOP nomination

The stunning death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, announced just hours before the six remaining Republican presidential candidates gathered Saturday evening in South Carolina for a debate, immediately ups the ante in the GOP primary and could well cement the base’s commitment to nominating a “true” conservative along the lines of Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

We’re starting nearly at scratch when it comes to knowing what’s happening in the South Carolina Republican presidential race. As of Thursday afternoon, the most recent survey in the RealClearPolitics average of polls in the state was completed January 23 — more than a week before the Iowa caucuses, and more than two weeks before the New Hampshire primary.