Let's get this out of the way right now. John McCain is the frontrunner. Yes, this race is ultimately about delegates but it is also about momentum and in two key states where the vote was contested, McCain has come out on top. Romney may be in the hunt with delegates but McCain is the story.
I'm sure frontrunner is not a label McCain wants. That, in part, hurt him early when some campaign staffers acted and spent like a frontrunner and it led to real problems. But he righted the ship, made Rick Davis his campaign manager and before you can say, "porkbarrel spending," McCain is back on top...for now.
You know Giuliani is going to go after McCain in Florida. He already has strong words against McCain on taxes. I'm sure the Giuliani or Romney camps believe they have to stop McCain in Florida or McCain may steamroll to the nomination.
This victory is big for McCain because now his campaign can expect the money to roll in. They need some more (Who doesn't, but especially them). Don't be surprised for many Washington establishment figures to board the McCain train. Here's what the campaign put out right after the victory:
Tonight the voters of South Carolina gave John McCain an important victory on his path to the Republican Nomination. Now that John McCain has won both the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries, he has passed the historical test for Republican candidates and is on course to win. He has the momentum, the drive, and is the only candidate that is ready to lead on day one - and he will! Although we celebrate a big win tonight, we know that we still have a lot more work ahead of us. Most importantly, we need to prepare for elections in Florida on January 29th and in all the states on "Super Tuesday," February 5.
If John McCain wins the nomination, and ultimately the Presidency, a book must be written about this campaign. I mean, do we all understand what a remarkable story this is?
Left for dead on the side of the road as political roadkill this summer, he's now resurrected. How appropriate that his resurrection came in Evangelical South Carolina. Evangelicals may have gone for Huckabee, but not by huge numbers. McCain was able to keep those numbers respectable.
Why? Because McCain is seen as a patriot, a war hero, and someone with strength of character and integrity. That resonated here in South Carolina and if it resonates in Florida and February 5, he'll probably end up as the Republican nominee.