Huck hopes flubs 'settle it all'
Posted: Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:23 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
2008, Huckabee
From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- He's awfully far from Des Moines.
Mike Huckabee, presidential candidate and fitness enthusiast, sprinted to a last-minute victory in snowy Iowa. Three weeks later, and 70 degrees warmer, the embattled one-time frontrunner is still running hard.
On the beach, that is.
Far from the frigid climes of Des Moines, the fitness-conscious governor did a five-mile jog along Ft. Lauderdale's AIA beachfront to clear his head for tonight's MSNBC debate in Boca Raton. Trailed by three carfuls of photographers, reporters and irate Ft. Lauderdale bicycle cops, Huckabee was greeted with occasional cheers of recognition from beachgoers -- whose wardrobes were dramatically dissimilar from the bundled-up homeschooling advocates he's often greeted in more northern climes.
Speaking to reporters before the jog, Huckabee acknowledged that tonight's debate could provide a critical turning point for his campaign in the state, where he is running against three strong rivals. "It's important," he said.
"What I hope is that all three, or four, of the others will make some statement that takes them out of the race, and I'll make one that puts me at the very front," he added. "And tonight, we can settle it all."
