Virginia: Huckabee's post-Romney test

Posted: Thursday, February 07, 2008 12:56 PM by Domenico Montanaro

From NBC's Chuck Todd
The first test of a Mike Huckabee in the post-Mitt Romney world as a conservative alternative to John McCain comes in Virginia. It's a fascinating test, frankly; Virginia's Republican electorate could be much more conservative than folks realize.

Why? The presence of Barack Obama, who has been a magnet for independent voters. Virginia doesn't have party registration; many a moderate indie or even a very moderate Republican from Northern Virginia could decide to vote in the Democratic primary race. Virginia has a decent sized evangelical population and no doubt Huckabee has tapped into those folks already.

Sure, there's a sizable veterans population that McCain could do well with, but keep an eye on Tuesday's Virginia primary; it's Huckabee's last chance to prove he can beat McCain somewhere.

Sure, it's a Southern state, but it's one that allows indies to crossover and would be a blemish on McCain if he lost. Frankly, it's probably Huckabee's last stand to prove viability as a serious alternative. If he can't win under what may be ideal circumstances for his campaign; then next week may bring another exit from the race.

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Comments

Kira wrote: "vote for someone with integrity (go Obama!!)"

Just like Limbaugh and Coulter, folks like you, Kira, show how little conservatism lies in your bosom.

grassboots, newton, iowa (Sent Thursday, February 07, 2008 4:36 PM)

"Huckabee has ZERO, that's Z-E-R-O chance in getting the republican nomination"

And that means Mitt has less than zilch!

grassboots, newton, iowa (Sent Thursday, February 07, 2008 4:37 PM)

More True-Conservative Romney supporters, who kept there masks on just long enough to show themselves like their fearless leader:

"I'm now firmly nestled in the Obama camp."

"If Huckabee gets VP nomination I'll vote for a democratic president for the first time in my life."

Like Ann coulter and Rush Limbaugh, they are CINOs.

grassboots, newton, iowa (Sent Thursday, February 07, 2008 4:42 PM)

JW, Denver, CO- it doesn't work that way- he doesn't get to decide where his delegates go. Even if he did, it wouldn't give Huck enough to win. Romney dropped out to help the party unite behind the front runner (even though the party doesn't like him), not to divide it further. Besides, Huckabee isn't a fiscal conservative. He is only a conservative socially- and on those grounds he is WAY over the top.

Kira, Utah (Sent Thursday, February 07, 2008 4:44 PM)

Osama--Bilary---McLame--Huckabee--I just sent a small donation to Huckabee, wish I could afford more. It is my way of letting him know I support him for president. Win or lose, he is a good man for this country, he has brains, a good sense of humor, and goodness knows we all need some laughter sometimes to ease our hearts and he is smart to catch our attention in that way so we will listen to his ideas on how to straighten out this country. He has my vote.

Jackie R. Kingman, Az. (Sent Thursday, February 07, 2008 5:31 PM)

As an English person I am fascinated to see that God is a right wing conservative in the USA. In the UK (short for the United Kingdom of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) God is a Marxist who favours gay priests and taxing the rich. Also turns out that God wants to introduce Sharia Law into the UK according to the Archbishop of Canterbury (the Anglican equivalent of the Pope)
Whereas in the USA God supports Huckabilly.

Bob Cory, Altricham, England (Sent Thursday, February 07, 2008 6:48 PM)

am I missing something here? "Conservatives" are upset that Romney pulled out and many now vow to vote Democrat, yet Huckabee either wins or is close to winning in almost all the "conservative" States. Why aren't the "conservatives" backing Huckabee now? All the responses I've read here ignore the Fair Tax. ALL the candidates, Democrat and Republican say "this is what I will do..." (about any issue). None of them are ever asked "...ah, and just HOW is it you will do that ???". The Fair Tax isn't Huckabee's idea, it's been around a long time. The Fair Tax is the ONLY "idea" that answers "this is HOW we will do it". It's researched and a bill in Congress complete with "HOW" to do it instructions. The Fair Tax is SWEEPING economic reform on a huge scale - even this supporter thinks it's a little scary to make such a dramatic change. But the supporters of the income tax of 1913 were facing the same challenge - instituting a 1% tax on income, when income had not before been taxed.

FairTax-ers support Huckabee. I don't care if he says "Merry Christmas" or "God Bless" from the White House (as President or VP) as long as he pushes for the Fair Tax

FairTaxjeff, Macon, Ga. (Sent Thursday, February 07, 2008 6:59 PM)

How could any right-thinking Christian possibly think of voting for Huckabee?!

Supporters apparently have not seen his extremely offensive and blasphemous ridiculing of our Lord with his prank of feigning a very worldly phone call from G-d when he was called to give the invocation (an opening prayer) at a Republican convention. Check it out on YouTube.

Such vain usage of the Lord’s name is in direct violation of the commandments.

Anti-Mormon bigotry in some evangelical states overpowered what should have been their concern about voting for such a man who makes a mockery of the Lord in open public. I guess that’s typical of a people who believe that they are saved with a one-time expression of faith and are afterward free to blaspheme the Lord since they’re already supposedly irreversibly saved by grace without any need to exercise faith further or obedience or be repentant and seek the Holy Ghost afterward.

Huckabee should be denounced for what he is, but worldly-minded people don’t care about such things, and evangelicals usually don’t seem to care what happens after their one-time prayer of “accepting Jesus.”

Andrew Jacobson, Vancouver, BC (Sent Thursday, February 07, 2008 7:25 PM)

Haha you know you are dead when you turn on your own. Democrats will sweep in 08.

Alan Washington, DC (Sent Friday, February 08, 2008 3:46 AM)

Face it folks, what the right wing of the Republican Party really wants is another "chicken hawk" for President! You know who you are! You like the tough talk about fighting Islamic extremism as long as it's someone else doing the fighting!You love the flag waving and see yourselves as the true defenders of our freedoms. John McCain makes you feel inadequate, so you come up with all kinds of excuses for rejecting him.There hasn't been a draft in this country for 35 years, so there are a lot of you out there now. You are the " chicken hawks". You are "weasels"!

Allan Mahoney (Sent Friday, February 08, 2008 6:49 AM)

Here's the deal...Huckabee is NOT going to exit the race whether or not he loses Virginia...He's going to stay in and gather up at least as many delegates as Romney has. Why in God's name wouldn't he do that?

He will DEFINITELY win more total delegates than Romney if he stays in...therefore he will DEFINITELY have significant clout at the convention.

McCain CANNOT win more than the needed 471 before March 4th...period. He will have to debate Huckabee (and Paul) later this month...period. There is good reason for this to happen because if Huckabee is GOING to concede, then the two can have a little GOP love-fest to unite the party around McCain's Iraq agenda (while pissing off Ron Paul). Everybody wins.

But if Huckabee makes (yet another) comeback...(and winning Virginia would probably be required) then who knows?

Butch Porter (Sent Friday, February 08, 2008 12:33 PM)

Too all TRUE CONSERVATIVES and ROMNEY supporters:

It was not our call to make Gov.Romney (whom we all dearly respect) quit the race, it was his well-formed decision. For many of us Mike was a number 1 choice but we would support Mitt if Mike would decide to quit the race. Now, there is still hope to stop McCain and win the general elections (which McCain has no chances to win). Stop listening to "polls" and "news", they are not getting any money from us and they ignore us. Prostitutes they are, most of them. They are saying it is impossible to gather more delegates than McCain, but fail to remember that there is a brokered convention if no single candidate gets 1191 delegates. Listen to your heart and principles, stand up if you think you would be the only one who would stand, just because STANDING FOR YOUR PRINCIPLES is ALWAYS RIGHT. Let McCain win if he can, but not by your vote. Join yourself, bring your family and friends. Vote many times :) (joke).

Sas Tarr, Boston MA (Sent Friday, February 08, 2008 12:51 PM)

Keep going Mike Huckabee, I'm with you 100%. You are in my prayers !!!!!!!

Karmen,Fayetteville, Ga. (Sent Friday, February 08, 2008 1:19 PM)

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