My last entry left readers wondering what was to become of Romney and the delegates he had accrued thus far in the race. His final speech led most Americans to believe that he would not give his support to competitor John McCain but Romney surprised everyone when he endorsed his opposition on Thursday (Feb. 14). Though the two candidates had thrown insults at one another and disagreed on many topics throughout the campaigning process, Romney finally gave McCain his nod of support.
Romney asked his 280 delegates to support McCain in the fight to elect a Republican to the White House in November. The support from Romney's delegates is a boost to McCain's campaign. Even though McCain is quickly on his way to amassing the 1,191 delegates he needs to secure the nomination, Mike Huckabee is proving to be a tireless competitor. After Romney's endorsement of McCain, many thought Huckabee would surely be out of the race but he has persevered. In interviews, he claimed he will stay in the race until McCain reached the golden number of 1,191.
Despite Huckabee's passion and determination, he lags significantly behind McCain in the delegate count. McCain commands a significant lead with 881 delegate votes while Huckabee only has 217 votes. The most recent election date was last Tuesday (Feb. 12) when primaries were held for Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. McCain won all of them, securing 107 new votes. Huckabee received no votes during the elections last week.
Many people wonder why Huckabee is still in this election. Some political analysts think that Huckabee is attempting to secure a nomination to the vice-presidency. Many think that Romney's self-removal from the race was a selfless act, allowing McCain to proceed in the election and gain support from converted Romney voters. Critics say that Huckabee is getting in the way of McCain's campaign by keeping the GOP divided. Even though there's little chance that Huckabee will make a great comeback, his presence still gives conservative Republicans hope that they will not have to vote for middle-ground McCain. Huckabee's last ditch attempt at accruing votes is most likely a stunt to get McCain to realize the influence he could have over extremely conservative voters, a demographic that the Arizona senator struggles to reach. By adding Huckabee to his ticket, McCain could have a better chance in the fight against the Democrats come November.
This election is a tricky one for the Republicans. Many Americans have a sour taste in their mouths regarding the past eight years of policymaing in our nation's capital. Even though McCain and Huckabee see some things differently than President Bush, they are still affiliated with the same party. Uneducated voters, who don't take the time to separate party from individual policy, are unlikely to vote for an administration that they don't believe has benefitted them in the past eight years. Many people say that Democrats have an advantage over the Republicans in this election.
The GOP's best bet is to elect McCain, who tends to choose moderate policies over conservative ones. This could sway Democratic voters who vehemently support the candidate (will it be Barack or Hillary?) who doesn't win the nomination. Some Democrats have said that if their candidate doesn't win, they could see themselves voting for the GOP. This wasn't the case when Romney was in the race but McCain tends to appeal more to Democrats than any of the other candidates. Of course, this benefit also proves to be a downfall when concerning the Republican party. Many conservative voters worry that McCain will not appropriately represent the GOP's ideals. If McCain chooses Huckabee to run for VP on his ticket, conservative Republicans may be appeased. The combination of the two differing personalities and different outlooks on policy may serve to benefit the Republican ticket when the election rolls around in November.
Meanwhile, McCain continues to pick up steam. Yesterday (Feb. 18), former President George H.W. Bush endorsed the Arizona senator, remarking that "Few men walking among us have sacrificed so much in the cause of human freedom. And I'm happy to help this remarkable patriot carry our party banner forward." More endorsements are sure to come as the primary season wraps up and as McCain moves closer and closer to securing the Republican nomination. If last week's primary results are any indidcation of the rest of the political campaign trail, tonight's elections in Wisconsin and Washington should prove no different. McCain is favored to win and should accrue more votes in tonight's elections.
Stay tuned for the upcoming big primaries in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island...
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