With 63% of the estimated vote in, the South Carolina Republican primary is well underway, with 50 delegates at stake. Donald Trump continues to maintain a significant lead with 60.5% of the vote, garnering 307,545 votes. This places him comfortably ahead of former two-time governor of South Carolina, who has secured 38.8% of the vote, trailing by over 110,000 votes.
The results indicate a resounding victory for Donald Trump in Nikki Haley's home state, with Trump leading by a substantial margin. The data reveals that Trump's support base primarily consists of voters without a college education, a demographic that comprises nearly 60% of South Carolina's population. In contrast, Trump faces challenges in areas where voters hold college degrees.
An analysis of the county-level data further underscores Trump's stronghold among non-college-educated voters. Counties with higher percentages of residents lacking a college education overwhelmingly favored Trump, with some regions showing support levels as high as 85% in favor of the incumbent.
Trump's success in South Carolina, a state with a significant evangelical and non-college-educated voter base, solidifies his position as a frontrunner in the Republican primary race. With this victory, Trump extends his winning streak to 4-0 in the early contests, accumulating over 100 delegates.
Looking ahead, as the primary season progresses into March, where hundreds more delegates will be up for grabs, Trump's momentum appears strong. While the path to securing the required 1,215 delegates remains a considerable distance away, Trump's consistent performance in the early contests positions him favorably as the race intensifies in the coming weeks.
