Martinez likes Huckabee for VP

As the Super Tuesday results trickle in, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is emerging as a potential spoiler, stealing conservative votes away from his more established rival, Mitt Romney, and helping frontrunner John McCain.

Huckabee is the projected winner in Arkansas, where he served as governor, and he's running first in Georgia and second in Oklahoma, with one third of the votes in those states counted.

"I've said all along that I think Mike Huckabee would be an excellent vice president choice,'' said Sen. Mel Martinez, interviewed moments ago on MSNBC.

McCain is at odds with some conservative Republicans over his support for campaign finance and immigration reforms.

"Obviously there are some people who are still grumpy about John McCain, but at the end of the day I think they're all going to rally around him,'' said Martinez, who stepped down in October as general chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Comments

[Eric Stratton]

Not an accurate assumption. Most exit polls show that the second choice for Huckabee voters is McCain NOT Romney. Huckabee himself favors McCain over Romney. Moreover, why do you call Romney "more established"? At the end of the night Huckabee will have won more states than Romney.

[Fred Taylor]

You're letting your democratic bias show here young beth. The FACTS are Huckabee won in Georgia, West Virginia, Arkansas, Alabama and finished within an eyelash of winning in Missouri and Oklahoma. How do you figure he's the spoiler? Romney has outspent Huckabee more than 35-1. That is a fact. All things being equal (money) Huckabee would be the frontrunner now. I think Romney is spoiling it for Huckabee.

[The Truth]

The race is not to the swift. Huckabee will win eventually.

Fred Thompson is a much better choice to shore up the conservative base. Huckabee on the ticket will allow the Leftwing crazies to claim "theocracy!" at every turn. McCain needs to pick his runing mate to counter the strengths and weaknesses of the Democratic nominee. Like picking Michael Steele to offset Obama, or Kay Bailey Hutchison to offset Clinton, or Condi Rice for either!