No Republican candidate has ever won New Hampshire and South Carolina and lost the nomination

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

With Donald Trump's big win in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary Saturday, history is now very much on his side in his quest to become the GOP nominee. Trump came in a close second in Iowa, and dominated the field in New Hampshire, before his South Carolina victory. And, according to The Washington Examiner, never before has a Republican candidate won the Granite State and the Palmetto State and then gone on to lose the nomination.

Now, that doesn't mean Trump is a lock. As The Washington Examiner points out, Trump's winning margin in the South Carolina primary looks to be much slimmer than polls showed, suggesting he may be losing momentum. Nonetheless, he has clearly shown that he is the runaway favorite to win the GOP presidential nomination.

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