[UPDATE] South Carolina GOP Primary Final Totals: Donald Trump Wins; Jeb Bush Drops Out

Real estate developer Donald Trump won the South Carolina Republican primary Saturday, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced after another poor showing that he was dropping out of the race.

With all precincts reporting, here’s where the candidates finished:

• Trump — 32.5 percent
• Marco Rubio — 22.5 percent
• Ted Cruz — 22.3 percent
• Jeb Bush — 7.8 percent
• John Kasich — 7.6 percent
• Ben Carson — 7.2 percent

Trump now has wins in New Hampshire and South Carolina after three state primary elections. Every Republican who has won New Hampshire and South Carolina has gone on to win the nomination, according to CNN.

After a devastating tally in which he didn’t crack even 10 percent, Bush told supporters it was time to end his campaign. He had spent millions in South Carolina in a last stand to become a contender for the nomination, but South Carolina, long a bulwark of support for the Bush family, rejected him.

“The people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken,” Bush said Saturday, “And I really respect their decision.”

Former Republican nominee Mitt Romney praised Bush after the decision.

Trump was joined on stage for his victory speech by his family.

“I want to begin by thanking the people of South Carolina. This is a special night,” Trump said. “I want to just say thank you to my family. It’s not easy for them. They don’t see me anymore. I’m making speeches all the time.”

And he thanked the lieutenant governor of South Carolina for backing him early, saying he’d take him over Gov. Nikki Haley any day.

His daughter Ivanka, who’s in her ninth month of pregnancy, stood to his right and spoke at her father’s request.

“The momentum since the beginning of this campaign has been unbelievable, and that’s because my father’s message resonates so deeply,” Ivanka said, offering thanks to his supporters.

On Trump’s left stood his wife Melania, who offered a few words, as well.

“I just want to say an amazing place, South Carolina, congratulations to my husband,” Melania said. “He was working very hard. He loves you. We love you. .... He will be the best president.”

Trump also dissed the “geniuses” in the media who were speculating that as candidates drop out their votes will go to Rubio.

“I’m going to get some of those votes, too,” Trump scoffed. “I think we’ll do very well.”

The word “love” figured prominently in Trump’s remarks after his victory was declared, too: Love for police officers, who aren’t being treated well, the military, who aren’t getting the equipment they need, and of course, the people of South Carolina.

And love for the wall he will build on the Mexican border. Trump again promised to build that wall and make Mexico pay.

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Trump hoped to overcome a slide in the polls, while Cruz was looking for a repeat of a performance in Iowa, where he defied polls and defeated Trump by 4 points.

Votes were cast until 7 p.m. Saturday. At stake in the first of the Southern primaries are 50 delegates.

Exit polls show the race tightened considerably from earlier polling, and the race was called approximately 30 minutes after the polls closed.

“Our ABC News colleagues have called South Carolina for Donald Trump, as has the Associated Press and (NBC),” writes Nate Silver at 538 in its live election blog at 7:35 p.m Eastern. “It seems like a quick-ish call, but Trump had a lead in pre-election polls, a narrower lead in the exit polls, and he has a lead in votes reported thus far. Decision desks are more willing to make a call like that when the consensus of the evidence points in the same direction.”

Fox and CNN quickly followed suit in calling Trump the victor.

Nevada Democrats were also caucusing Saturday, where Hillary Clinton won a close race over rival Bernie Sanders.

SOUTH CAROLINIANS EXPLAIN THEIR VOTE

Former first lady Barbara Bush spent Friday crisscrossing the state with her son Jeb, who had to do well in South Carolina to remain in the race.

Bush was in position to finish third in South Carolina, according to the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll. Released Friday, the poll, which had an error margin of 3.6 percent, shows the race for third place tightening between Floridians Marco Rubio, the state’s junior senator, at 15 percent, and Bush, its former governor, at 13 percent.

The campaigns have heated up their rhetoric in the final hours before the polls close in South Carolina.

Trump and Rubio both continued to call Cruz a liar — Trump over a Cruz campaign ad that prompted a cease and desist letter to from Trump, who is depicted in the ad as saying in 1999 that he is “very pro choice.”

Rubio claimed that Cruz’s campaign altered a photo to make it appear he was gleefully shaking hands with President Obama.

At a rally Friday, Trump said Cruz “cheated like a dog.”

“He holds up the Bible, and then he cheats,” Trump said.

Rubio, attending the same event at the Pawley’s Island country club, reminded voters of the “dirty tricks from the Cruz campaign.”

“Over the last 10 days, the Cruz campaign has lied, smeared, fabricated, and even Photoshopped,” Rubio communications director Alex Conant told The Boston Globe. “We fear the worst dirty tricks are yet to come. . . . The Cruz campaign will do anything to stop Marco Rubio’s momentum.”

» Photos by Gage Skidmore via Flickr / Creative Commons

Data curated by InsideGov Data curated by InsideGov