Gingrich breaks Republican race wide open

The Toronto Star:

Charleston, S.C. —Sealing a comeback few thought possible even a week ago, Newt Gingrich broke the Republican presidential race wide open in South Carolina Saturday with a crushing double-digit victory over Mitt Romney.

Riding on sheer fiery charisma, the former house speaker turned American voter volatility into an improbable landslide against Romney’s well-oiled electoral machine, claiming a resounding 40 per cent of the vote.

Romney ended the night with a dismal 28 per cent — a collapse that left the moderate former Massachusetts governor’s campaign reeling as the primary race shifts to next-up Florida.

The outcome turned conventional wisdom on its ear, stripping Romney of his front-runner status.

And it turned a sprint into what now is likely to be a marathon — many weeks, months even, before a single candidate can secure enough delegates to become the Republican standard-bearer against U.S. President Barack Obama in November.

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