Huckabee Third in New Hampshire

In the Republican debate leading up to the first primary in the nation, Huckabee got into a debate with his major Iowa competitor, Romney, with each making accusations of the other increasing taxes in his state during his governorships. In the New Hampshire Primary Election, Huckabee placed third in New Hampshire with 11% percent of the vote. Although Huckabee’s campaign did not expect a large showing in New Hampshire, it leads one to wonder whether Huckabee can be a viable national candidate with support from pure conservatives as well as the plains-based religious right. As such, it is not surprising that Huckabee poured more efforts into the upcoming South Carolina primary that boasts “conservative Christians” as a larger portion of the constituency. In addition, Huckabee and McCain are both awaiting the Michigan primary because if Romney cannot win the state, which his father was governor and he spent part of his childhood, he may abandon his run for president. If that is the case, Huckabee will have a much better chance at the Republican Nomination because the religious right will not be split between the candidates. However, this does not account for Giuliani’s campaign strategy, which will probably make him a major competitor in the coming months. It seems Huckabee is still struggling with the religious aspect of his campaign; while sometimes it provides a lot of support, he also receives a lot of criticism from more traditionally conservative Republicans. The debate and is shown by his comment, "Many of us who have been Republicans out of conviction . . . the social conservatives," he told reporters, "were welcomed in the party as long as we sort of kept our place, but Lord help us if we ever stood forward and said we would actually like to lead the party." This weekend Huckabee campaigned in Michigan and tried to convey a message that he “understands what struggling to make a living really means… I understand the workers in this state. I can see the fear in their eyes. They know that any day could be the day when they are told their jobs are headed to Mexico or the Middle East, and when that happens they'll wonder how they're going to put food on the table.”Since McCain and Huckabee have each won a primary/caucus, it will be interesting to see who comes out victorious in Michigan and how it influences the Republican race for the Presidential Nomination.