By Michelle Westgate
As Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) tucks more wins under his belt during the so-called Potomac primaries in Virginia, D.C. and Maryland, Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.) hangs on to his small victories.
McCain called it a “clean sweep” at a post-election rally Tuesday night, even though the race in Virginia was too close to call until half the votes were counted. With 99 percent of precincts reporting in Virginia, McCain took 50 percent of the vote, with 41 percent for Huckabee and 5 percent for Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.).
However, in Washington, D.C. and Maryland, McCain’s victories were much stronger. In D.C., with 97 percent of precincts reporting, he received 68 percent of the vote, and in Maryland, with 67 percent of precincts reporting, McCain garnered 55 percent of the vote.
Pundits on MSNBC, citing NBC News exit polls, said that many Virginia voters thought McCain was “not conservative enough,” a problem McCain has tried to address as the near-certainty of his nomination comes closer and closer.
“There is still a real sense in the Republican Party of a desire to have a choice,” Huckabee said during his speech on Tuesday. Huckabee pledged to continue his campaign, despite the poor results in Virginia, a state he needed to win to prove his credibility with southern religious conservatives.
“Every day provides us a new opportunity to keep the message going,” Huckabee said. “Every time we win we are ecstatic. When we don’t win, we are disappointed, but we are not knocked out.”
McCain commended Huckabee for being a formidable campaigner. “He certainly keeps things interesting,” McCain said.
Since the Feb. 5 Super Tuesday primaries, McCain’s campaign has generated enormous momentum. Currently he has won 16 states, and the Associate Press estimates that 821 delegates support him, including the 92 delegates he won Tuesday night.
During McCain’s victory speech on Tuesday, he fo
Huckabee continues to forge ahead, having wonwith eight8 states and an an AP- estimated 241 delegates, estimated by the AP.
“Every time we win we are ecstatic,” Huckabee said. “When we don’t win, we are disappointed, but we are not knocked out.”
During McCain’s victory speech on Tuesday, he turned the focus from the Republican nomination to the upcoming November general election. “I’m fired up and ready to go,” he said, stealing a line from his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).
“We know where either of their candidates will lead this country,” McCainhe said. “And we dare not let them.”
McCain warned that a Democratic president will take earned wealth. “They will assure us that government is better able than we are to make dedications and decisions about our future for us,” McCainhe said. After Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.) withdrew from the GOP race last week, many speculated that McCain was assured the nomination to represent the Republicans in the general election. However, there are some, including talk show hosts Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, who have said that McCain is not conservative enough to represent the Republican party.
Regardless of opposition, McCain has vowed to “unite the party” by bringing the more conservative and moderate Republicans together.
Neither McCain nor Huckabee has yet secured enough votes to secure the party nomination, although there is speculation that McCain will win the nomination.
But Richard Himelfarb, an associate professor of political science at the University, is “certain” that McCain will be the Republican nominee for the November election.
“Huckabee is so far behind that he is not going to catch up,” Himelfarb said.
Regardless of the math, Huckabee does not appear to be ready to leave the race. “The nomination is not secured until someone has 1,191 delegates,” Huckabee said. “That has not happened.”
Senator John McCain speaks as part of the string of appearances associated with the recent primaries. (John McCain 2008)