If the CBS News exit polls are accurate, they show good news for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Nearly two-thirds of respondents in the network’s exit polling said that the presidential debates were an “important factor” in their decision. Gingrich was widely considered to have turned in the best performance the debates held in the state on Monday and Thursday, as Romney stumbled on questions about his unreleased tax returns and generally faded into the background.
“A majority of voters — 53 percent — said they made up their mind about who to back within the last few days,” CBS’s Brian Montopoli wrote, more numbers that would suggest a big night for Gingrich, as he overtook Romney in the polls during the last week of campaigning in South Carolina.
