NASHUA, N.H. — Donald Trump and the Republicans chasing him began the battle of South Carolina on Wednesday, one day after Trump's rout in New Hampshire re-established him as the GOP front-runner.
"Something's going on — it's a movement," Trump told NBC's Today show after a win in which he took twice the number of voters of his nearest competitor, Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
Trump, who holds a rally Wednesday night at Clemson University in South Carolina, claimed New Hampshire eight days after a second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses raised questions about his ability to generate votes to match his poll numbers.
With that runner-up finish, Kasich joined Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio on the list of Republicans seeking a one-on-one showdown with Trump for the GOP presidential nomination.
It's also possible the Republican race could soon shrink. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who finished a disappointing sixth in New Hampshire, told supporters he would return to his home on Wednesday to assess the future of his campaign.
While Kasich focused almost all of his campaign on New Hampshire, he told NBC's Today show that the grass-roots organization he used in that state is one that "we will be able to use throughout the country."
Kasich, who flew overnight to South Carolina, said New Hampshire voters responded to his optimistic tone — "I was the only one with a really positive message" — but he will fight back against Trump or any other candidate who attacks him now that he is emerging in the race.
"Somebody wants to mess with me, they're messing with the wrong guy," Kasich told NBC. "I'm not gonna sit there and be a marshmallow and have somebody pound me."
Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, also traveled to South Carolina, saying he has the organization and family history to win there while Kasich has virtually no organization in the Palmetto State. Bush said his candidacy is still alive after what appears to be a fourth-place finish in New Hampshire.
Bush also vowed to maintain his attacks on Trump, saying the businessman's campaign is based on insults and disparagement, and a Trump nomination would gravely damage the Republican Party in the fall election.
Republicans in South Carolina want "the most conservative candidate who can win — and that is me," Bush told CNN.
Marco Rubio is also traveling to South Carolina, looking to recover from what looks like a disappointing fifth-place finish in New Hampshire. Rubio, who had hoped to capitalize on a stronger-than-expected third-place finish in Iowa, cited a poor debate showing in New Hampshire and the "negative" media coverage that followed it.
"That's on me," Rubio told Fox News.
Also campaigning in South Carolina: Ted Cruz, who won the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1 and declared success with his apparent third-place finish in New Hampshire.
As the votes rolled in Tuesday, the Cruz campaign sent out a fundraising email telling backers: "We are just 11 days from the tipping point" of the Republican race — "the South Carolina primary."
A Republican who is not traveling to South Carolina: Christie, whose criticism of Rubio during Saturday's debate won him strong reviews, but whose sixth-place finish in the New Hampshire primary weakened his campaign.
The New Jersey governor said he would "take a deep breath" and figure out the way forward.
Trump, speaking on Fox News, praised Christie but joked: "I want everybody to get out except for me."
