"I won the majority of the Republican vote in both New Hampshire and South Carolina."
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When first means second
Pressed on his credentials with GOP voters, John McCain said he won them over in two early primaries. But he didn't.
Exit polls from the Jan. 19, 2008, primary show he narrowly lost to Mike Huckabee among self-identified Republicans in South Carolina, 32 percent to 31 percent.
And in New Hampshire, exit polls show Mitt Romney beat McCain 35 percent to 34 percent. However, it should be noted that a few news agencies, including MSNBC, showed McCain narrowly winning among Republicans in their results.
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The topic is important to McCain because he has often struggled to win over die-hard Republicans. Exit polls show moderate and independent voters powered both of his victories. But when the schedule moves to states like Florida, where primaries are closed to independents, his need for Republican support becomes critical.
The exit polls show that McCain didn't lose among Republicans in either state. When you factor in a margin of error, both are statistical ties. But what McCain said was that he "won the majority" of Republicans in those states, and we don't find any evidence that that's true. We rule McCain's statement False.
Our Sources
MSNBC.com, South Carolina Exit Poll , Jan. 19, 2008
MSNBC.com, New Hampshire Exit Poll , Jan. 8, 2008
CBS.com, New Hampshire Exit Poll , Jan. 8, 2008
CNN.com, New Hampshire Exit Poll, Jan. 8, 2008
Republican Presidential debate, Boca Raton, Jan. 24, 2008
Boston Globe, Sunshine State primary to test McCain's appeal to core Republicans, Sasha Issenberg, Jan. 23, 2008
St. Petersburg Times, Past haunts McCain, by Jennifer Liberto, Jan. 22, 2008
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