(Image source: The New York Times)

BY ALYSSA CARTEE

Well it was an early night for those following the South Carolina primary.  Just minutes after the polls closed, the announcements began.

Gingrich isn’t wasting any time patting himself on the back.  He already has his sights set on the next race.

“We need to build on this victory by going to Florida. I need your help in reaching out to people in Florida.  I need your help in finding anyone who believes in what we’re doing.”

The New York Daily News writes Gingrich’s handling of his political scandals might have helped him get the votes.

“Gingrich surged back to life after a few strong debate performances - and his aggressive denial of his ex-wife's claims that the Speaker wanted an open marriage. He also may have been the recipient of some sympathy votes after a pair of fake emails … circulated Friday claiming that Gingrich pressured his former spouse into an abortion.”

The New York Times saw the primary results as a fleshing out of Romney’s flaws-- flaws that he may not be able to overcome.

“For Mr. Romney, the night presented the biggest challenge yet to his once-high-flying candidacy … Tea Party adherents and religious voters who have viewed him with suspicion over his Massachusetts health care initiative and past support for abortion rights.”

Political blogger Ezra Klein tweeted the win by yet another candidate may just hurt Republican’s chance at winning the White House.

HUGE win for Obama in South Carolina tonight. And I don't mean in the Democratic primary.

With the GOP nomination still having no clear front-runner after three primaries, all eyes will be on Florida.  One reporter for CBS points out Florida might be rough for Gingrich because he has lost steam after earlier rises in the polls.

“One of Gingrich's problems is his lack of discipline. He's going to have 10 days in Florida with this momentum kind of being the front-runner, and he's shown he's had difficulty holding on to the momentum, and so Romney's going to try to take that away from him.”

More than anything, Gingrich’s victory seems to suggest there will be months more of intense campaigning, instead of the zipped up Romney victory some were predicting just weeks ago. The Huffington Post explains.

“The GOP calendar this year is more spread out than it was four years ago, which means that the contest was going to last until at least late April even if Romney had buried Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul long ago. But now that South Carolina has given a boost to Gingrich -- and a small but important cache of delegates -- it's clear how long the campaign will last.”

The Florida Primary is on Tuesday, January 31st.