With nearly all the votes counted, Donald Trump is the clear winner of the South Carolina Republican presidential primary, leading with roughly 33 percent. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) remained in a near-tie for second, with each candidate between 22 and 23 percent. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush dropped out of the race after getting a disappointing 8 percent. Ohio Gov. John Kasich and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson were right on Bush's heels, with between 7 and 8 percent each.
The big win clearly distinguishes Trump, who finished a close second in Iowa and won convincingly in New Hampshire, as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.
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