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Bush wins key South Carolina primary

COLUMBIA: Texas Governor George W. Bush decisively won the pivotal South Carolina primary over Arizona Sen. John McCain on Saturday, re-establishing himself as the favourite in the Republican presidential race.

But McCain, in a hard-hitting speech to his supporters, vowed to keep fighting by offering a choice "between my optimistic and welcoming conservatism and the negative message of fear."

With 92 percent of the precincts reporting, Bush had 54 percent to McCain's 41 percent. The third candidate, conservative talk radio host Alan Keyes, who has no chance of winning the nomination, had 5 percent.

Political analysts had called South Carolina a must-win state for Bush. Had he lost, rank-and-file Republicans around the country, as well as some of his establishment supporters, may well have abandoned him.

Now McCain, a former Navy pilot who spent 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, has only three days to recoup before Tuesday, when primaries will take place in his home state of Arizona and, more importantly, in Michigan, the first major industrial state to vote in the 2000 campaign.

"Tonight in South Carolina, we have ignited our cause and united our party," Bush said in his victory speech. "We come roaring out of South Carolina with a new energy in our campaign."

"We ignited a record turnout a huge outpouring of Republicans from all parts of our party. We have ignited young voters who turned out in large numbers to support my optimistic vision for America," he said.

The South Carolina turnout was estimated at around 600,000 -- more than double the previous record.

By getting his third victory in four Republican events, Bush was back in the win column where his campaign hoped he would stay, backed by most of the Republican establishment and a large campaign warchest.

McCain, in his speech in his stronghold of Charleston, said he would not "dishonor the nation by allowing ambition to overcome principle."

"We are going to win. I will not take the low road to the highest office in this land," he said. "I want the presidency in the best way, not the worst way."

He also suggested that Bush's stance and tactics would deliver the Nov. 7 election to Vice President Al Gore, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, and would also result in Republicans losing their majority in the House of Representatives.

By winning South Carolina, Bush got 37 delegates to the Republican National Convention, where 1,035 will be needed to win the nomination. But the battle was all about winning momentum for the big states that lie ahead.

Exit polls showed Bush owed his victory to the overwhelming support of Christian conservatives, who backed him by a three to one margin. Voters who did not describe themselves as evangelical Christians narrowly backed McCain.

If Bush wins in Michigan -- and his aides were clearly hoping for a big bounce from his South Carolina triumph -- McCain's challenge may fade. In a weekend poll in Michigan, taken before the South Carolina result was known, the two were in a virtual dead heat.

A Michigan victory would put Bush on track to effectively wrap up the nomination on March 7, when California, New York and Ohio are among a dozen states holding primaries. McCain said he would stay in the race at least until March 7.-Reuters