By Jonathan Battaglia
Kathy Smith hadn't decided on a candidate until she walked into the voting booth at New Heights Church in Harbison. She ended up casting her ballot for U.S. Rep Ron Paul, R-Texas, whom she said she trusts on issues like abortion and cutting the deficit.
"I just had a gut feeling," said Smith, 53. "When I get a gut feeling, I usually go with it."
Voter turnout was lower than expected Saturday morning at the Broad River Road church, poll manager Joe Rice said. Only 41 people had voted as of 10:30 a.m., but Rice said voting usually picks up in the afternoon during primary elections.
Dan Wojoski, 59, said he was looking for a candidate who could beat President Barack Obama. He said he decided five seconds before he went into the booth that he would vote for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
"It's all about electability," Wojoski said. "I think he has about an 80 percent chance of beating Obama."
Winn Phillips said he decided on Friday to vote for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who had pulled ahead of Romney in polls of likely S.C. voters a few days before the primary.
"It was a toss toss-up between him and Romney," said Phillips, 68. "The personal life stuff doesn't matter to me."
Dave Cross, 70, said he didn't have a second thought about voting for Gingrich.
"He has the most experience out of anyone," Cross said. "I trust him on foreign policy."
Poll manager Joe Rice finds a voter's name on the roll.
