The race to the White House entered its third round Saturday, with Republicans voting in their first southern primary in South Carolina and Democrats choosing between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in Nevada. Voters streamed to the polls in South Carolina after they opened at 7:00 am, in what is likely to be an important test of strength for frontrunner Donald Trump. Pre-vote surveys showed the billionaire businessman with a big lead over five Republican rivals in the Palmetto State.
Tim Nielson, 56, emerged from a voting place in Mouth Pleasant, South Carolina wearing a red, white and blue "I voted" sticker. He said he had switched from Democrat to Republican to vote for Trump. If Trump wins the White House, said Nielson, "maybe he'll change some ways." Trump is banking on a big symbolic win ahead of "Super Tuesday" - March 1, when about a dozen states will go to the polls to choose candidates for the November 8 presidential election, with a quarter of the nominating delegates up for grabs. "It's crunch time, folks," Trump, 69, told voters at a North Charleston rally, his final pitch Friday before the primary. He finished second to Texas Senator Ted Cruz in Iowa on February 1, but secured a commanding win in New Hampshire one week later.