Poll Check

Here's your handy-dandy polling summary, showing the Real Clear Politics averages as polling wrapped up and voters began going to the polls in the South Carolina primary and caucusing in Nevada.

Be sure to come back tonight as the results come in to see how the pollsters compared to the people.

South Carolina GOP, RCP averages

McCain: 26.9%
Huckabee: 25.9
Romney: 14.7
Thompson: 14.6
Paul: 4.4
Giuliani: 3.4

South Carolina Dems, RCP Average

Obama: 43.2%
Clinton: 33.6
Edwards: 13.2

Nevada GOP, RCP averages

Romney: 25.7%
McCain: 20.7
Huckabee: 12.3
Giuliani: 11.7
Thompson: 10.7
Paul: 7.3

Nevada Dems, RCP averages

Clinton: 37.8%
Obama: 33.8
Edwards: 18

If the polls turn out to be correct, my favorite candidate, Fred Thompson, will certainly have to fold up the ol' campaign, since he has to be strong in the South if he's ever going to get traction. Lesson for the poli-sci majors: Candidates who diddle away valuable campaign months may not be able to overcome the lost time and the image of indecisiveness.

Note: Captain's Quarters says a "Thompson surge" may be growing in South Carolina, quoting an American Research Group poll that shows Thompson running up, hitting 22 percent, compared to the RCP average of 14.6.

And if the polls are correct, my least favorite candidate (well ... there is Ron Paul, too), John Edwards, should hang up the campaign and tend to his dying wife, since if the former one-term, punk senator from North Carolina can't win in South Carolina, it's obvious that the American people are not as dumb as he thinks we are.