In an interview with 1200 WOAI news during his swing through Texas, longshot Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee outlined a strategy which has him not winning the GOP nomination outright, but pushing the nomination to the September Republican National Convention, which he says will turn to him as the most ‘conservative alternative.’
The ‘brokered convention’ plan is in stark contrast to Huckabee’s previous sunny predictions of a sweep to victory in the primaries and caucuses on the shoulders of adoring family values conservatives.
Huckabee said his ‘brokered convention’ strategy is predicated on a victory in Texas, the country’s largest Republican state.
“We think Texas is an important state,” Huckabee told me. “We know how important it is to win Texas.”
Huckabee says with an upset win in Texas, and a win in the Ohio Republican primary the same day, Huckabee could deny front runner John McCain the nomination in the primaries.
“If we win Texas, I think it changes the dynamics of this race. It could well go all the way to the convention. If the convention delegates pick the president, chances are they would pick the most conservative. I would be the one they would end up picking, if that’s the criteria.”
It is the longest of longshots that things could work out the way Huckabee envisions it, but it may have gotten the slightest bit easier thanks to the NY Times hit piece on John McCain yesterday. Had there been any real meat to that story Huckabee's brokered convention fantasy might have come to pass, but the story has been so universally denounced that if anything it may drive McCain's numbers up as Republicans rally around McCain to show the liberal press that they can't play those games and get away with it.
Huckabee's usefulness to the GOP is minimal at best at this point. I think he's staying in with hopes of gaining enough delegates to take second place in the nominating contest and win a coveted speaking spot at the convention.
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