John Kasich

An energized John Kasich heads into South Carolina's Republican presidential primary hoping to build on a strong showing in New Hampshire, but he's refusing to tailor or shift his message to fit the state's more conservative electorate.

The billionaire political novice on Tuesday posted a decisive victory in the New Hampshire primary, a once-unthinkable first for an enterprise built on the promise of putting America on top and turning politics on its head.

Meanwhile rival Republican candidates including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, said their campaigns will go on no matter what the outcome Tuesday.

Marco Rubio's uneven debate performance just days before Tuesday's New Hampshire primary has emboldened a trio of governors seeking to stem his rise in the Republican race for president.

The caucuses kick off the 2016 presidential nominating contests, marking a new phase in a tumultuous election that has exposed Americans' deep frustration with Washington and given rise to candidates few expected to challenge for their party's nomination when they first entered the race.

Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Chris Christie, the four Republican candidates in a showdown for their party's traditional supporters, closed last year with roughly as much money in the bank combined as Ted Cruz, the conservative insurgent they hope to topple.

Donald Trump's boycott of the final debate before the Iowa caucuses created space for his rivals to delve more deeply into their differences on immigration, foreign policy, and governing.

But most will also have their eye on New Hampshire, where they're hoping a strong showing in the Feb. 9 primary will jump start their white house hopes.

Christie has fallen to just seven percent, which is tied for 5th with Jeb Bush.

After months of predicting a comeback for their preferred candidates, Republican establishment leaders now concede the first two contests of the presidential race, in Iowa and New Hampshire early next month, are Donald Trump's and Ted Cruz's to lose.