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Huckabee, Clinton win Arkansas Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008 By John Lyon Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - "Mike is back!" Mike Huckabee supporters chanted at his primary watch party Tuesday night, after a day that saw the former Arkansas governor capture his home state and at least four others in his re-emergence as a contender for the Republican presidential nomination. "Over the past few days, a lot of people have been saying that this is a two-man race," Huckabee told about 250 supporters shortly after 9 p.m. at his watch party at the Clear Channel Metroplex in Little Rock. "Well, you know what? It is, and we're in it," said Huckabee, who had been shut out for more than a month since winning the Iowa caucuses and had been written off by many as a spoiler, at most, in the GOP presidential race. Democrat Hillary Clinton, Arkansas' first lady for 12 years, also added Arkansas to an impressive list of victories across the country. County clerks around the state reported heavy voter turnout at polling places throughout the day, though a round of deadly storms disrupted voting in some areas. Tornadoes that killed seven people in the west-central part of the state cut short voting at Atkins. As storms rolled through Central Arkansas, a power outage in downtown Little Rock delayed vote counting, said Pulaski County Election Commission chairman Kent Walker. In a statement, Huckabee said he knew "all too well" the horror of facing tornadoes from his time as governor. "While we hope tonight is a time for us to celebrate election results, we are reminded that nothing is as important as the lives of these fellow Arkansans, and our hearts go out to their families," he said. At his watch party, Huckabee said voters heard what the pundits said about him, but their response was, "This is our election, not theirs." He also vowed to stay in the race, saying he would be "answering the bell every time there's a new round." Across town, at the smoke-filled Cornerstone Deli and Pub in downtown North Little Rock, more than 75 Clinton supporters sat at tables around the room or leaned against the wooden bar watching the election returns on television. Cathyrn Hinshaw of North Little Rock wore a Bill Clinton for President T-shirt from his 1992 campaign with a Hillary for President button pinned to her chest. "I think it's a nice blend," she said. "I'm glad to see Arkansas is coming through big," a smiling attorney General Dustin McDaniel said after Clinton was announced as the projected winner in the state. The attorney general co-chaired Clinton's campaign in Arkansas. "My job was Arkansas and I am now on pins and needles to see what happens in the rest of the country," he said. Clinton was the projected winner in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Across the river, Obama supporters gathered in a back room at Vino's Pizza Pub and Brewery in Little Rock to watch election returns. A rumbling of boos erupted when Clinton was projected winner of Arkansas, and cheers spread throughout the crowd of about 50 when Obama was the named winner in Georgia and Illinois. "Everybody is real optimistic," said Dan Ost of Hot Springs. Several campaign staffers were late to the election watch party because they decided to stay at the Obama headquarters on Main Street until a violent thunderstorm rolled through the city. Joan Dudley, her husband Erik Ostermueller, and their two sons, 11-year-old Owen and 8-year-old John, watched the election returns while chatting and eating pizza. "Family has been campaigning for Sen. Obama since he announced last year," Dudley said, adding that she's tired of bickering among Washington politicians. "I am ready for the bickering to stop," she said. Huckabee supporters said Super Tuesday was a chance for Huckabee to show he is a serious candidate. "I think he's been underestimated throughout the campaign, said state GOP Chairman Dennis Milligan, adding that Tuesday would change that. Huckabee won West Virginia's convention after McCain supporters threw their support to Huckabee in the second round of balloting. Beth Myers, campaign manager for Romney, complained in a statement that Huckabee won through a "back-room deal." Before the night was up, Huckabee also had scored wins in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. Tuesday's presidential primary was the earliest ever in Arkansas, which also took part in the March 1988 Super Tuesday primaries. Huckabee began the primary season on a high note, winning Iowa's Jan. 3 Republican caucus with 34 percent of the vote to 25 percent to Romney's 25 percent. He had not won another contest in the month since, including a disappointing loss to McCain in South Carolina and a fourth-place finish in Florida. Huckabee spent the past week criss-crossing the South. He also managed a trip to California, and his wife, Janet, traveled to Alaska on Saturday to campaign for her husband. In recent days, Huckabee downplayed the importance of winning Super Tuesday states, saying repeatedly that the race is about winning delegates, not states. The Clinton and Obama campaigns both opened offices and ran television ads in Arkansas, but Clinton left a larger footprint in the state in advance of Super Tuesday. The former first lady made public appearances in Fayetteville and Little Rock in August and held a rally in North Little Rock on Jan. 30. Her daughter, Chelsea Clinton, and husband, former President Bill Clinton, also made recent campaign appearances in the state. Obama has not visited Arkansas since attending an October 2006 rally in support of gubernatorial candidate Mike Beebe and other Democrats. Hillary Clinton also snagged endorsements from numerous elected Democrats in the state, including Beebe. The best-known public official in Arkansas to endorse Obama was Pulaski County Circuit Clerk Pat O'Brien. ------- Reporters Rob Moritz and Jason Wiest contributed to this report. |
