HILLARY CLINTON WINS SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY

Hillary Clinton scored another major victory in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination, winning the South Carolina primary over rival Bernie Sanders on Saturday.

Multiple networks called the race for Clinton shortly after polls in the state closed at 7 p.m. EST.

The results represented the second consecutive loss for Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, who was not able to crumble Clinton's strong hold on the Palmetto State.

Sanders appeared to recognize he could not win the state. He spent some of the week in South Carolina, but left mid-week to make campaign stops in several other states, including Oklahoma.

Clinton's victory comes as the primary map improves significantly for her heading into next week's Super Tuesday contests.

Recent polls show Clinton edging Sanders in crucial states set to hold their primaries and caucuses next week. It could award her a sizeable chunk of the 2,383 delegates needed to secure the Democratic presidential nomination.

But there are still warning signs for Democrats as a whole.

Like Iowa and Nevada, some early reports found Democratic voter turnout in South Carolina would likely fall far short of 2008. Republican primary voters and caucus-goers have shattered turnout records in almost every contest thus far, a sign to some experts that voter enthusiasm is higher among GOP voters.