Huckabee Ends Run
5 March 2008Mike Huckabee has said all along that if John McCain reached 1191 delegates he would listen to the voters and drop out of the race. Last night that is just what happened. McCain actually reached 1192 delegates and, true to his work, Mike Huckabee gracefully exited the race.
Those of us who were Huckabee supporters are, obviously, disappointed, though not surprised. I’ve believed for some time that McCain had to great a lead for Huckabee to overcome. But I always held out some hope. Now it’s over and Huckabee has this to say on his campaign website:
We had held out hope that we would win enough delegates to keep the contest going, but had vowed that if Senator McCain actually got the 1191 delegates, we would accept the will of the voters. In the end, the relentless hammering of the media that we “couldn’t win” influenced enough voters and while we campaigned long and hard in the final states, it simply wasn’t enough. I congratulate Senator McCain and will do what I can to assist him and influence him to take strong stands for issues that we conservatives cherish.
Huckabee isn’t, however, going home to retire. The Governor had this to say; “But this much I can tell you—we want to stay in touch and start now building a platform to continue addressing issues that brought us together in the first place.”
According to his web site he is planning to work to help conservatives across the country get elected.
We will keep our website up and as we transition, will want to create a way to keep in touch and continue the battle for our families, our freedom, and our future. We will also focus on assisting conservative Senate and House candidates, in places where we know our investment of time and energy can make a real difference. You can expect us to be active online as we do this and to regularly solicit your opinions and support. Too many big issues are at stake for us to sit on the sidelines.
So Huckabee is going to stick around and try to have some influence. I think that’s a good move. Huckabee has built up a lot of loyalty over the last year and his supporters will be a critical to the advance of conservatism around the country. And let us not forget the FairTax.
Governor Huckabee has been, hands down, the most eloquent and prolific supporter of the FairTax. While the FairTax organization has been phenomenal, much of its growth has been due to Huckabee’s vocal support on the campaign trail He is a true believer and he will likely continue the charge. That gives me hope that the FairTax effort won’t end along with Huckabee’s campaign.
Finally, I think Huckabee has positioned himself very well for 2012. Of the three candidates left, none is likely to have a good first term as President. Huckabee has an excellent chance to step in in 2012 and take the GOP nomination.
So now we have to look to the future. We, as conservatives, have to decide what we’ll do in November. Many will simply hold their noses and vote for McCain. Many others will not be able to do that. Who McCain picks as his VP will be decisive for us. If McCain goes the old crony route he will be defeated in November. If he chooses a solid conservative, preferably someone younger, he might have a chance.
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March 6th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
[...] Ron’s Musings: Those of us who were Huckabee supporters are, obviously, disappointed, though not surprised. I’ve believed for some time that McCain had to great a lead for Huckabee to overcome. But I always held out some hope. Now it’s over . . . [...]