On January 21, South Carolina’s Republican Party held its primary. The unofficial vote totals, according to Politico, are: Gingrich 243,153; Romney 167,279; Santorum 102,055; Paul 77,993; Cain 6,324; Perry 2,494; Huntsman 1,161; Bachmann 494; Johnson 213.

When one compares the New Hampshire Republican primary vote for the candidates who had withdrawn by the time of that primary, one sees that Herman Cain’s vote in South Carolina is significantly larger than his New Hampshire vote, something that is untrue for the other candidates who were on both ballots but who had withdrawn when New Hampshire voted.

Three candidates were on the ballot in both states, and had withdrawn before either primary: Michele Bachmann, Gary Johnson, and Herman Cain. In the New Hampshire Republican primary, Cain only polled 161 votes; Bachmann polled 350 votes; and Johnson polled 181 votes. The Bachmann vote in both states was about the same in each state; the Johnson vote in each state was about the same; but the Cain vote in South Carolina was forty times bigger than his New Hampshire vote. Furthermore, the final South Carolina returns will probably show slightly bigger totals for each candidate. Stephen Colbert seems to have made his influence felt.