website. that's it for us tonight. bill o'reilly will be back monday. please remember, the spin stops here, because we're looking out for you. breaking tonight. we are now less than ten hours away from the next big test in campaign 2016, as voters head to the polls in south carolina in a race that could cement donald trump's role as the front-runner or confirm the establishment's mvp. at this hour, the candidates are making their final pitches to the people of south carolina. we have live pictures coming back now from a ted cruz rally in greenville, south carolina. it just started moments ago. he has a tough fight on his hands, with the latest polling showing donald trump the clear favorite in this race. according to the real clear politics average, mr. trump leads the pack at 32%. 14 points ahead of his next closest competitor and it appears there is little to stand

in his way. he has been dogged this week about questions regarding his opposition to the iraq war. mr. trump has used the issue to point to his good judgment, saying he opposed that war from the start. but a new, uncovered interview appears to contradict his claim. listen. >> i'm the one that said, don't go into iraq and i said that, don't go into iraq, 2003, 2004, and before then. >> were you for invading iraq? >> yeah, i guess so. you know, i wish the first time it was done correctly. that was long before the war began, and by the time the war began, i was saying, and i'm on record saying we shouldn't go in. >> but you're not on record that you opposed the war before. there's no evidence of that. >> by the time the war started, i was against and i've been against it for years. >> and now we have gotten our

hands on audio taken just one day after the 2003 invasion in which he spoke to fox news' own neil cavuto and didn't seem exactly anti-war. >> i think we're just waiting to see what happens, but even before the fact there, taking a little bit for grant it, it looks like a tremendous success from a military stand point. i think this is nothing compared to what you will see after the war is over. >> there's no evidence that this controversy, trump's fight with the pope or anything else is changing the significant lead held by donald trump. and yet optimism abounds within both the cruz and rubio campaigns, we're told. we have a big show for you tonight, complete with four of the republican presidential candidates, including ted cruz and marco rubio, both here to take questions from our frank luntz focus group. we'll be joined by jeb bush and john kasich is here, as well. but we begin tonight with chris

stirewalt, rich lowery, and roger stone. great to see you all. so we're visiting the o'reilly studio, which is why we have you on the set. >> good to be here. >> let's talk about what you expect to happen tomorrow. >> giant trumpness. this should be the best trump yet. i think in a lot of ways, it's an open primary state, so his coalition of democrats, independents, and republicans can come together in south carolina. it should be good for him. and it should cement his status going into the southern primaries come up in march. this should be a great night for donald trump tomorrow. >> i think trump wins. i'm not sure what the margin is. i think marco rubio is on the move. i wouldn't be surprised to see ted cruz third. >> really? what would that do for his candidacy? >> it's problematic going into the rest of the southern states. south carolina is the doorway into the rest of the south. if he can't score there, it's

very tough going into the southern states. >> you think rubio comes in second. you say he's got the establishment crowned if he does that. >> i think at that point bush collapses and rubio is the establishment candidate. >> if marco rubio has a second place finish, there is a magic moment that will happen where it will become a referendum on donald trump. the sooner it becomes a two-man race and the sooner that man is marco rubio, the sooner that takes place. i think jeb bush and john kasich and other candidates are aware of their problem, and their problem is voters in south carolina know a vote for jeb bush is a vote for donald trump, because you're prolonging the process that allows trump to take advantage of a divided field. >> rich, let me ask you. is it correct to assume that let's say if ben carson drops out, even ted cruz were to get out of this race, that their supporters would necessarily go

to marco rubio over donald trump? >> some of them would, not all of them obviously, especially cruz, there may be more overlap with trump than rubio. but i agree with everything that's been said, especially if trump has a big margin tomorrow night, double digits, somewhere in the mid 30s, the head of steam is going to be incredible. he'll go into nevada with major momentum. the one poll out of nevada has him at 45% already. and then he's going to go into super tuesday, after winning south carolina, after winning the last three states and beating ted cruz in the south with marco rubio never having won a state in this scenario, and he's going to win eight, nine, ten contests. i think you can't finish third constantly and win the

nomination. >> what about trump's negatives? even in south carolina, they're saying 40% of the people say they would never vote for him. there's a whole faction of the republican party that doesn't want trump. he's nobody's second choice. how does that play? because at some point people will have to realize he will probably be the nominee. >> we talked about what i call donald trump's leveraged buyout of the republican party. he has 33% to 40% of the voting shares. but the rest of the board can't get behind any single choice. his whole strategy, everything about donald trump, depends on the prolonging the time until the rest of the party says, well, marco rubio is not our dream date. we didn't all want him. we always wanted somebody else. but we'll take him because he's the best guy to go up against trump and hillary. >> divide and conquer. speaking of war strategies, he

got in a bit of a confrontation with a questioner at the cnn town hall and was not happy about trump's claims during the last debate that president bush lied about wmds to get us into the war in iraq. here it is. >> when you said that george w. bush, which was our last republican president, that he lied to get us in the war in iraq, that stung me very deeply. i don't believe that. i'm just wondering, given some time passing, perhaps you've rethought that, would you be willing to rethink that? >> well, a lot of people agree with what i've said. i'm not talking about lying or not lying, nobody really knows why we went into iraq. >> you said they lied, they said they were weapons of mass destruction, there were none and they knew there were none. >> a lot of people think that. bottom line, there were no weapons of mass destruction. >> do you think the president of the united states, george w. bush, lied --

>> i'm not -- let me tell you something very simply. it may have been the worst decision going into iraq, may have been the worst decision anybody has made, any president has made in the history of the country, that's how bad it is. >> what do you make of that, rich? he clearly said he lead, and last night he said a lot of people think that, i don't know. >> clearly trying to soften it a little bit. a lot of republicans feel like that voter who asked that question. now, what trump said about the iraq war is not going to matter to his core supporters, who clearly operate by the fifth avenue rule, which is trump can do anything and they're still with him as long as he's disrupting the system. the question is whether he's building a ceiling for himself and will there be enough resistance in the party to keep him from getting above 50%. >> i think that's meaningless. it's the bet position for a general election.

whether it was incompetence or treasonness, it's a big mistake. >> as you know, i am not a bush fan, but i don't think that either charging bush on 9/11 or on the war has hurt trump's candidacy. many republicans agree with him. >> great to see you all. also today in washington, a public display of remembrance and appreciation of a legal titan. look at this, long lines of mourners that stretched for blocks and blocks, all turned out to honor associate justice antonin scalia. his casket carried into the hall of the supreme court to lie in repose, on the very platform which president lincoln's coffin rested. also in attendance today, the president and the first lady, and it was justice scalia's own

son, himself a roman catholic priest, who offered a prayer for his father. >> god of faithfulness, in your wisdom you have called your servant out of this world. release him from the bonds of sin and welcome him into your presence so that he may enjoy eternal life and peace and be raised up in glory with all your saints. >> joining us now, jeb bush. good to see you. i recognize the president and first lady were there, but we've been talking about how it will be unprecedented he will not attend the funeral tomorrow. never in history has a sitting u.s. president not attended the funeral of a sitting u.s. supreme court justice. the question for you is whether you believe he's shirking his duty as our head of state in not going? >> i think he is. he's also the most divisive president we've had in modern history and this is another

example. people will look to this and say, he didn't go because he didn't respect the incredible judicial mind of one of the great jurists of all time. and it's a shame. the president needs to be a healer rather than a divider. and every step along the way, he has used his skills to divide the country and we need someone who creates a unity of purpose. this is another example of why he's not an effective president. >> let's talk politics. now you just heard our panel, maybe you didn't, but they suggested voters in south carolina -- >> i heard them. >> they were suggesting -- he's talking about stirewalt. he's still here. he has a shameful look on his face. he was suggesting that voters in south carolina are understanding that a vote for you or john kasich is a vote for donald trump. >> that's ridiculous. and it does a disservice to the people that are working hard and my campaign and does a disservice to the voters of south carolina.

they should pick who they think should beat hillary clinton and can lead as president of the united states. my case is, i have a proven record unlike other candidates that i can be commander in chief of the armed forces and president of the united states on day one. we're living in dangerous times. we need someone with a steady hand and detailed plans to fix the mess in washington. with all due respect to the pundits, i'll let the voters of south carolina decide. >> there's a report in politico tonight that several jeb bush campaign workers are shopping their resumes, believing you will not continue on after south carolina. is that true? >> with all due respect to politico, let's let the voters decide this. i don't read politico, i think it's trash. >> as we sit here on the eve of south carolina, what is your final message to the voters there? >> well, that we can grow our economy at 4% rather than 2%. that we can restore the military cuts to keep us strong. that we need a president of the

united states that will restore america's leadership in the world to keep us safe and we need someone who will change the culture as i said in tallahassee to bring about a balanced budget amendment and change the culture to rise up again as a nation. people are deeply pessimistic about the future. they're latching on to the big horse on the stage in the case of the republican nomination. but that guy isn't going to solve their problems, i can. >> governor jeb bush, thanks for being here. >> thanks, megyn. also tonight, a judge has decided to look at the issue of whether senator cruz is eligible for president of the united states. and we'll show you why he took that on in just a moment. plus, governor john kasich joins us with an inside story of one of the most powerful moments we've seen on the trail this year. and final thoughts of primary voters in south carolina. and then we surprise them when

marco rubio and ted cruz gave them each a rose. no, but we will show you what happened when the questions started flying. >> among all the negative ads, the one that affected me the most is the one that continues to say that you have not shown up for votes but i have not heard you explain or defend that whatsoever. i've been claritin clear for 14 days. when your allergy symptoms start... ...doctors recommend taking one claritin every day of your allergy season... ...for continuous relief. with powerful, 24 hour... ...non-drowsy claritin, live claritin clear. every day. this clean was like pow! can a toothpaste do everything well? it added this other level of clean to it. it just kinda like...wiped everything clean.

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breaking developments in the saga over ted cruz's eligibility to be president, as a judge sets a court date. trace gallagher has more. >> reporter: the initial lawsuit filed by lawrence joyce, an illinois pharmacist and attorney, claims that ted cruz is not a natural born citizen, is not eligible to run for president, and should have his name taken off the illinois primary ballot. ted cruz's lawyer filed a motion to dismiss, and now the court will hear the matter march 1. even though mr. joyce is a ben carson supporter, he says this is about saving the republican party. joyce believes donald trump should file his own lawsuit,

because trump has the money and power to pursue it, and because trump is the one who first brought it up. listen. >> i made it publicly clear that even though i'm a carson supporter, he could take my case if he wanted to, because the legal issues are all the same for the candidates. i never heard a peep out of him, so i'm beginning to wonder if donald trump is sincere in the first place. >> reporter: ted cruz says -- >> reporter: and lawrence joyce agrees that he is a citizen but argues because he is born in canada, he's a u.s. citizen by statute, not a natural born citizen. the issue has never been ruled on by the supreme court, and is the subject of disagreement by some of the country's most respected constitutional scholars, although we should note the vast majority believe ted cruz is eligible to run. >> and the board of elections

has already so held this is an attempt to reverse that decision. an extraordinary moment on the south carolina campaign trail yesterday. governor john kasich was speaking to voters when a young man stood up and what happened next has appeared on virtually every broadcast in the nation. >> i drove up today from the university of georgia, and i did it because i wanted to let you know and everyone else know why i'm supporting you and why that support is unwavering. and i don't want to get too emotional. over a year ago, a man who is like my second dad, he killed himself. and then a few months later, my parents got a divorce, and then a few months later, my dad lost his job. and i was in a really dark place for a long time.

i was pretty depressed. but i fou found it in the lord and in my friends, and now i've found it in my presidential candidate that i support. and i really appreciate one of those hugs you've been talking about. [ applause ] >> joining me now, republican presidential candidate and ohio governor john kasich. governor, great to see you. what a moment that was and to your credit, when you whispered in that young man's ear, you did not lift up the microphone, you had a private moment with him, and then you went back to speak to the crowd and talk about what you learned on the campaign trail when it comes to renewal and human connection. tell us now. >> you might remember, megyn, when we did this interview, when i was in new hampshire i was telling you about these special, private moments that people have felt comfortable coming to, of all things, a political town

hall, and talking about things that people really feel deeply about. i have some guests here tonight. i'm not going to give you any of the background, but they came to see me, because they have a very serious problem in their family. and i think they're seeing most of the candidates, but i've had a little private meeting with them. it's just something that has struck me about the needs of a people out there who feel disconnected. somewhat i've been saying is we all need to slow down a little bit, put ourselves in each other's shoes and begin to live a life bigger than ourselves, megyn. look, we want to elect a president. but when you grew up and i grew up, we didn't have anybody coming in on a white charger trying to solve all our problems. a lot of times, we roll up our sleeves and connect with other human beings, because deep inside of us is sort of a notion

that we do want to be connected with other people. we do want to be able to lift one another. that's the spirit of america. that's what we're all about here in the united states of america from the very beginning. connectivity, living a life bigger than ourselves and doing it without having to wait for the government to fix our problems. and the government can help us, megyn. the government has its responsibility, but if we really want to restore the fire to the american spirit, we've got to do it right where we live. and i know you know that. >> that quiet dignity, that love, that connection is a lovely sentiment and heartfelt. when you look at the american electorate right now, doesn't it feel like it's going a different way? >> megyn, they're very concerned. they're concerned that they're in their 50s and they're going to lose their job, either because the economy is bad or somebody from some other country is going to come in and steal

their job by dumping something in this country that we can't compete against. they're worried about their kids being in a position where, you know, they're not going to have the kind of life that we got from our parents. but they're looking for hope and looking to believe that the story doesn't have to end in a negative. and i don't believe that it does, megyn. look, we've been through a lot worse times in america than what we're going through now. with a little leadership and good, conservative principles to reignite the economy and make sure we leave no one behind, i find people very hopeful. i've done more town halls than virtually everybody put together and i think i've got a good sense of what people want and they want to believe, they want hope, they want to change and they want to believe that they themselves can help change the world. i believe it. >> we're here on the eve of the south carolina primary. the polls put you in fifth or sixth place. what's the path ahead for you?

>> we're going to go all over the country, megyn. when i finished strong in new hampshire, people said that all the supporters that i would get in south carolina could fit in a volkswagen. well, i mean, we've done better than that. we'll at least be able to put them in a van. we're going from vermont, massachusetts, virginia on monday, mississippi, louisiana, and we'll compete in super tuesday. we'll be in michigan, ohio. we're going to go across the country, and we're going to do better than people expect here, but we never expected to win here. it's not critical that we do, but we do want the people of south carolina to give us some support. >> not long ago, rachel maddow took some hits for hugging clinton and sanders at the end of a debate. i think it's safe to say most of the people watching this show would like to give you a hug right now. thank you for being here.

it was just a nice moment. nice to see him connect with that suffering young man who had gotten to a better place, listening to an optimistic message. before the voting is done tomorrow, they expect to break records in south carolina, and we will speak with the state gop chair tonight about what that means and about what they're seeing in terms of absentee votes are coming in already. plus, marco rubio goes one on one with the south carolina voters, next. >> you're my number one right now with trump a close second. what can you say or do real quickly to clear up immigration to make me vote for you?

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i just divide and conquer. hauls more, stows more, tows more and fits in your garage. the mid-size metris from mercedes-benz. vans. born to run. breaking tonight, we are less than ten hours out from the first votes cast in the gop primary. we put together a focus group to get their final thoughts, then surprised them by bringing in senator marco rubio and senator ted cruz. we recorded the group's reactions in realtime, and in moments those reactions will be displayed on your screen. it will look like this. the red line represents the feelings of the conservatives in the audience. the green line is the moderates.

when the lines go up, they like what they're hearing, when they go down, not so much. pollster frank luntz ran the deal and we begin with senator rubio. watch. >> it is with great pleasure i introduce the senator from florida, marco rubio. [ applause ] word or phrase to describe marco rubio. >> awesome statesman. >> conservative. >> presidential. >> establishment. >> bold. >> handsome. >> diplomatic. >> are you married? >> yeah. >> are you happily married? >> yeah. >> pretty good response. is there anything briefly that you feel the voters of south carolina and america haven't heard from you yet that you would want them to know if they make up their minds? >> i'm not sure you haven't heard it yet.

>> let's rate marco rubio. >> i want to reiterate why it is i decided to enter public servant and run for the president. we will either be the most prosperous americans that ever lived or we'll be the first generation to leave our kids worse off. that's why i feel so passionate about this. >> we've got three people here that are first time voters. what is your question for him? >> one of the greatest passions of mine is sharing the gospel of jesus christ everywhere, no matter this state, north carolina, all over the world. tell me your stance on religious liberty. >> you're my number one right now with trump a close second. what can you say -- my withdraws about you right now are immigration. what can you do to clarify

immigration to make me vote for you? >> mine also is about immigration. you say you don't want to deport -- like it's impossible to deport all the illegal immigrants here, but why don't you at least try? they did break the law by coming here illegally. so why not try to deport them? >> my recommendation is to go for the other side. >> on the religious liberty. it's not just the liberty to believe whatever you want, but the ability to live out your faith, the free exercise, meaning government should never force you to violate your conscience. the two questions about immigration. number one, i don't believe we can round up and deport 12 million people. i don't think you would support what it would take to do that. i do believe people will have to be deported. i think we should begin with people that are dangerous and pose a threat. that should be happening now. and i think -- that should be happening now. people that pose a threat to

public safety should be the first ones we prioritize, and that should be happening now. and about immigration, it's very clear we're not going to be able to do anything on immigration until the american people see that it's under control. and not just passing a law. they want to see the wall built, they want to see the additional border agents, they want to see e-verify in place and an entry-exit tracking system in place. after 1986 when reagan did it, they never did the enforcement part. that's exactly why i don't think we can do anything else until that happens first. >> in the very back. [ inaudible ] >> i want to know why you supported the gang of eight bill then. >> in 2013, the senate was moving forward on immigration reform. so i wanted to make it as conservative as possible in a senate controlled by harry reid, sending it over to the house.

if you go back at the time and see my statements, it was very clear, i said it over and over again, this bill is not strong enough. it won't pass this way. the house is going to have to make it stronger, and that's the only way to have a chance to do it. so that's what i endeavored to do to make it as strong as possible. when i'm president, i can do it our way, not the way they wanted to do it. that was never going to be the final law. i wanted to make a difference. i wanted to have an impact on an issue that still haunts us. we're still facing this issue. >> the single -- among all the negative ads with the candidates, the one that affected me the most is the one that says you haven't shown up for votes but i have not heard you defend that whatsoever. >> i have almost a 90% vote record. when i started running for president, i missed some votes, like votes that were 97-0 or votes on a judge. when there's been votes on like

defunding planned parenthood, i make those votes. last week, i took off to campaign and went back to vote on north korea sanctions. when you run for president, i can't be in two places for once. ultimately, i'm running for president. only a president can set the agenda. these bills we're voting on, obama is going to veto them. we need a new president. i'm not running for re-election for the senate. i'm either going to be a private citizen or the next president of the united states. i feel that passionately we need to improve that answer. >> what is your reaction? >> i love the answer. i want to see you do more when you get to the senate and i saw you leave columbia the other day to vote for the korea. >> what is your reaction? >> honest and sincere. >> the thing i love, he said i'm not running for re-election for senate. i'll either be a private citizen, so it's not like he's falling back on a job he has. that's why i believe him. >> let's go. >> marco, i have a question for

you. i love jeb bush, but i do not want donald trump. should i consider voting for you on saturday? >> well, i believe i'm the only one left in this race that can do two things. we have to unite this movement. we'll have a spirited primary, but if we're still fighting in september and october, we're going to lose and that means that bernie sanders or hillary clinton are president. number two, we have to grow this movement. in the past, you know what they told us we need to do? we have to water down our principles, be less conservative. i don't believe that for one second. i believe we need to take our principles to people that don't vote for us now and i'm going to. i'm going to take conservatism to people that are living the way i grew up, to people that live paycheck to paycheck, students that have loans, families raising their children, and i'm going to say i lived the way you're living now. i grew up the way you're living now and i'm a conservative and you should be too. it's right for you, right for me and right for america. >> reaction? [ applause ]

>> and straight ahead, senator ted cruz does the same, going face to face with the south carolina primary voters, that will decide his fate tomorrow. we'll show you how he did. >> senator cruz, you will change my mind and have my vote if you can answer this question. how, step by step, do you plan on removing obamacare? >> great question. what makes thermacare different? two words: it heals. how? with heat. unlike creams and rubs that mask the pain, thermacare has patented heat cells that penetrate deep to increase circulation and accelerate healing. let's review: heat, plus relief, plus healing, equals thermacare. the proof that it heals is you.

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>> not all good. mostly good. senator, what have you not -- if you can all grab your dials. this is going to be a discussion. what have you not had the chance to tell them that would help them make up their minds. how many are undecided? this is your chance to reach out to a third of the group. what would you tell them that might convince them that you're the right candidate. >> listen, i think the stakes have never been higher than they are right now. i think one of the great things of the people of south carolina, y'all are looking very seriously at these candidates. this saturday, when we had the last debate, earlier that day justice scalia passed away. and i think it really underscored just how high the stakes are in this election. and what i believe the men and women of south carolina are looking for is they're asking who can i trust? the supreme court right now is hanging in the balance. our basic constitutional rights,

our second amendment, our free speech, our religious liberty, every one of them, we're one liberal justice away from them being taken away from us. what we've seen over and over, the democrats, when they had the white house, they always put left wing activists on the courts. the problem is, republicans, more than half the time, we mess it up. >> do you guys agree with that? >> yes! >> why should they trust you? >> because i've spent my whole life fighting to defend the constitution and the bill of rights. >> what question would you like to ask senator cruz? >> if things don't work out for the presidential election, i think you would be a fabulous supreme court justice. [ applause ] >> would you accept that? >> thank you, i appreciate this. look, what i'll tell you, having principled supreme court justices is immensely important, but i think our country is in crisis right now. you know, i would like to be in a position to appoint two,

three, four, five principled supreme court justices. but we also need a president who will fight to repeal obamacare. we need a president who will fight to pass a flat tax. >> we need a supreme court that will hold that up. >> you are preaching to the choir so much. listen, i've spent almost my entire life practicing in front of the court. but on foreign policy, we need a president that stands with israel, that defeats radical islamic terrorism. >> i'm a veteran myself. what are you going to do to help our armed forces, particularly the veterans? >> hugely important question. we have to rebuild the military. the weakening of the military unobama has been unconscionable. i rolled out a plan to rebuild the military. we're going to rebuild our army to 520,000. [ applause ]

>> the supreme court decision that was made this summer, how do you see that continuing to affect our religious liberties in the negative way it seems to be doing. >> the gay marriage decision was lawless, contrary to the constitution, and as far as i'm concerned, it will not stand. >> senator cruz, you will change your mind and have my vote if you can answer this question. i have a lot of friends in the medical field and we can agree that obamacare is a cancer and a cancer that needs to be cut out but cut out the right way. if you cut it out the wrong way, lit kill the country and kill our health care system. how, step by step, do you plan on removing obamacare? >> andy, great question. we have to stop by repealing every word of it. everyone agrees we need health care reform. health care reform ought to expand competition, empower patients and keep government from getting between us and our

doctors. people need to purchase health insurance across state lines, make health insurance portable so it goes with you from job to job. >> did he win your vote? >> he von the vote. >> excellent. one last question. back center, you're up. >> a lot of people i know are scared of you. i had a friend next to me -- i thought it was rather ridiculous, but she said you wanted a theocracy. how are you going to convince moderates and independents that you're not going to turn the country into a theocracy or anything so right winged that they get crazy about it? >> listen, one of the things the media does is they try to paint anyone who is a bible believing christian has a nut. >> amen. >> do you guys agree with that? >> yes! >> so i am a born again christian, it's who i am,

integral to who i am. i'm not going to be ashamed of jesus. >> that's right! >> but at the same time, i'm not running to be pastor in chief. it's not the job of a president to be the pastor. it is the job of the president to be the leader for everyone. the answer you can give your friends more than anything is that i am a constitutionalist, and the bill of right protect everyone, christians, jews, muslims, hindus, atheists. this is a nation where we have a right to follow our faith to seek out god. >> do you agrees agree with that? >> yes. >> ladies and gentlemen, senator ted cruz. [ applause ] up next, the chairman of the south carolina republican party on why he is predicting something historic in tomorrow's vote. don't go away.

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>> he can take it. he whines as much as jeb bush does when it's turned against him. >> and they're his words.

let him come out and prove now -- >> he's not a politician. >> oh, excuse me, he's a real politician. >> reagan was a politician. >> matt moore is chairman of the south carolina republican party. you say this is par for the course in south carolina. . >> what a great country. we'll see record turnout on our side. about 650,000 people here in south carolina. about double new hampshire and iowa. >> what was it last time, what was it four years ago in the gop primary the >> 630,000 people voted in south carolina last time. people are interested in this primary in south carolina. .

we set an absentee record on monday. about 25,000 returned at this point, we'll have about 40,000 returned. >> is that military? >> that includes military and overseas ballots, as well. >> can you glean anything from that? >> people are excited. they want to turn the page on seven years of bad policy. a lot of absentee ballots returned over on the coast, some in charleston, the low country. it's a big mix, depending on which candidate might do well tomorrow. >> so you can't tell like you're getting a ton in conservative counties. >> not really. maybe it helps ted cruz on the coast, maybe donald trump, maybe down in charleston. hard to tell with a big melting pot in charleston. >> are you going to predict a winer? >> donald trump has been leading

the past 20 out of 21 polls here. it would be a big surprise if donald trump does not win. the race seems to be for second. and being in the top tier of candidates that goes into nevada and the southern states march 1. >> who has the best ground game? >> i've seen great things from the bush campaign, rubio and cruz campaigns. some with a more targeted approach, some with a more shotgun approach. i've seen wonderful social media efforts. this is the first time we've seen a robust mobile media effort. . so a lot of good signs for us. >> how critical is the ground game? >> it's such a big primary. it can add about two or three points, maybe five points maxium to a person's number. i'm not sure it will matter tomorrow night, but definitely for second or third place, it will have an impact. >> matt, thank you. we'll be right back. pet moments are beautiful, unless you have allergies.

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tune in tomorrow for the gop south carolina primary and nevada democratic caucus results. we'll be on the air 6:00 to 10:00 as the numbers come in. who will win south carolina? what about nevada? join us tomorrow. welcome to "hannity" in beautiful, charleston, south carolina, two town halls tonight. ted cruz and marco rubio and a few special guests. "hannity" starts right here, right now. senator, good to see you. >> good to be with you. >> tomorrow's a big day. >> yeah. >> you won iowa by a -- by a historic margin. you spent less than most candidates and came in third in new hampshire. >> yep. >> and there's a pl out this morning that shows you within five points and taking south carolina. [ cheers and applause ]