Santorum Gets Glitter-Bombed

Santorum shined but it was Newt's night, pundits say

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul all had their moments in last night's GOP debate, but it was Newt Gingrich's night thanks to his fiery first five minutes , pundits say.

• Rick Santorum took the fight to Gingrich and Romney and was the "central mover in the debate," but Newt's condemnation of the media was "his finest hour in the race," writes Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post . He took a potential weak spot and "turned it into a moment of considerable strength." Romney, for the first time, "found a compelling message when it came to questions about his considerable personal wealth," he notes.

Romney retakes big lead, says latest Reuters/Ipsos poll

(NEWSER) - Three days ago, it looked like Mitt Romney's lead had collapsed in South Carolina , with Newt Gingrich just 2% behind. Now, not so much: A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Romney back on top with 37%, a 21-point lead over nearest rivals Ron Paul and Rick Santorum. Gingrich trails in fourth with just 12%. Romney does well on the electability question, too, beating President Obama 46% to 40% among both Republicans and Democrats. "In primary races things can change quickly, but it does look like Romney is in position to win South Carolina," says an Ipsos poller. More»

Tea Partiers, evangelicals starting to panic

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney now has two wins under his belt, and some conservative activists are starting to panic. Many see South Carolina's Jan. 21 primary as their last chance to unify support behind a conservative candidate, but there's no agreement on who that candidate should be, the Washington Post finds. Tea Party groups are leaning toward Newt Gingrich, while the GOP's evangelicals want a social conservative like Rick Santorum. More»

Newt Gingrich falls to third with 18%

(NEWSER) - Just a month ago, Newt Gingrich had a huge lead in South Carolina, and two months ago Rick Santorum was languishing at 1%. Times, they have a'changed. Santorum has vaulted into second with 24% of the vote in the latest Rasmussen poll , just behind Mitt Romney's 27%. Gingrich has fallen to third with 18%, followed by Ron Paul with 11%. Rick Perry and Jon Huntsman are in the single digits with 5% and 2% respectively. More»

Protesters got 'rowdy' at Tacoma event this week

(NEWSER) - Rick Santorum must really be a frontrunner now, because the Republican presidential candidate is requesting Secret Service protection. His campaign sent the request to the Department of Homeland Security yesterday after what Fox News calls a "rowdy rally" in Washington state Monday night. Occupy protesters crashed the outdoor event , chanting and yelling, and two were ultimately taken away by police. Santorum says it's "a sad state of affairs" when such protection is needed, but notes that his family needs the safeguarding. So far, Mitt Romney is the only Republican presidential contender being protected by the Secret Service . More»