Newt Gingrich stormed to a shock victory over Mitt Romney in the South Carolina primary, scrambling the race to choose a Republican challenger to President Barack Obama.
The win marks a dramatic turnaround from Mr Gingrich's earlier poor showing in the first two contests of the party's presidential race.
It sets up the likelihood that the contest, which Mr Romney once seemed poised to wrap up quickly, could drag on for months.
It also puts Mr Gingrich in a position to establish himself as the true conservative alternative to Mr Romney, who some Republicans see as too moderate.
Romney has benefited by having the conservative vote divided among Mr Gingrich, former senator Rick Santorum and Texas governor Rick Perry, who dropped out on Thursday.
An exit poll conducted for The Associated Press and US television networks showed Mr Santorum and congressman Ron Paul were far behind.
Gingrich led by a wide margin among the state's heavy population of conservatives, born-again Christians and supporters of the small-government tea party movement.
The poll by Edison Research involved interviews with 1,577 voters and had a margin...
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