CHARLESTON, S.C. – The South Carolina Republican primary campaign has taken some sharp turns in the last few days, with the withdrawals of Rick Perry and Jon Huntsman from the race; with the fallout from the news that Rick Santorum, and not Mitt Romney, had more votes in the Iowa caucuses, where missing ballots made a certified result impossible; and with the resurgence of Newt Gingrich after a near-death experience in New Hampshire.

On top of that, there will be the aftereffects of Thursday night’s debate before South Carolinians go to the polls on Saturday, plus the voters’ reaction — extremely difficult to predict — to Marianne Gingrich’s decision to publicly attack her former husband.