This fact also happens to be why Romney has never mustered more than 50% support, which is another fact that the pundits keep ignoring. Without that, it’s simply a matter of the fractured opposition whittling itself down to one candidate. Or, in this case, two, because RON PAUL forbid that RON PAUL’s supporters support anyone other than RON PAUL because he’s RON PAUL.

I have been predicting that the anti-Romney sentiment and the fleeing of libertarians to Paulbottery will force a brokered convention. I have yet to see any polling or primary results that indicate any differently, and with Trump throwing his weight behind Gingrich today things are going to get a lot more nasty.

Labeling the axes would make the data a lot easier to evaluate your statements.

It was actually South Carolina. North Carolina’s is not until early May. (I’m a resident.)

I have a suspicion that it wasn’t the Rethuglicans who put Gingrich on top in SC – it was Dems. South Carolina’s primary is open, meaning that regardless of party affiliation, a voter can cast a vote in either party’s contest. Dems vote for the more unelectable candidate in the Repub race to make Obama’s chances that much easier. 🙂

(This is precisely why I changed to “unaffiliated” yesterday, even though my loyalties are liberal. It allows me to vote in the conservative party’s contest in May.)

Those graphs, which I admit I threw together too quickly, are meant to be read right to left. So they are dropping off as we go into the past.

The gap in the numbers was Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, mainly. Emphasis on gap.

The other thing I’m noticing is that the total of the four candidates seems to be steadily dropping off. Is “none of the above” coming on strong?

In the post I say I gave up on Santorum, but a full on implosion of Gingrich could bring him into play as a kingmaker, or VP or something (though most talk of such things during primaries is just talk most of the time).