The media has been quick to hand the nomination to John McCain after Mitt Romney's high-profile exit from the race this afternoon. They seem to have forgotten about the wild card: Mike Huckabee. Huckabee was widely expected to disappear on Tuesday, but instead he carried most of the southern states that held Super Tuesday contests. Now with Romney gone and much of the Conservative hardcore base upset with McCain's reputation as a moderate, perhaps Huckabee's Feb. 5 victory speech claim of being engaged in "a two man race" might be more accurate than previously assumed.
Huckabee has a real opportunity to grab the mantle as a "true conservative," though he has been criticized from the right for his spending practices as governor of Arkansas. Still, with at least a chunk of Romney's supporters dissatisfied with McCain, Huckabee should expect a bit of a boost.
It's going to take quite a bit of work on the part of his campaign to keep from being
shut out by the media, though.
