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'Keep marching on,' Huckabee says, despite Wisconsin loss Wednesday, Feb 20, 2008 By Rob Moritz Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee vowed Tuesday to continue his campaign for the White House despite another loss to presumptive nominee Arizona Sen. John McCain in the Wisconsin GOP primary. "It's not about ego," Huckabee told reporters at the Peabody Hotel after he telephoned McCain to congratulate him on winning the Wisconsin primary. "Let me assure you that my ego doesn't enjoy these kind of evenings where we don't win the primary election," he said, adding there are several issues, such as pro-life and taxes, he wants to continue to speak out on and hopes to do so at the Republican National Convention in September. "It's about convictions, it's about principles that I dearly, dearly believe in," he said Huckabee is running a distant second to McCain, who has won a series of state primaries since the Jan. 8 New Hampshire primary and holds what experts call an almost insurmountable lead in delegates race. A candidate needs 1,191 delegates to clinch the Republican nomination. McCain also has been endorsed by former Republican rival Mitt Romney and former President George H.W. Bush. "Clearly I'm disappointed with the results in Wisconsin," Huckabee said, adding he will remain in the race until either he or McCain secures the necessary delegates to win the nomination. "We're really going against an incredible headwind every day, and what I have to remind individual voters is that their voice and their vote still count," he said. Huckabee said he plans to campaign in Texas today and is optimistic he can win that state, which along with Ohio, holds its primary March 4. "We're going to be working hard to try to get to as many voters as we can," he said, adding he hopes to force a brokered convention, meaning neither he nor McCain will have the necessary delegates before the September convention, and it will be up to the delegates at the convention to elect the nominee. "We're going to keep marching on," he said. "There are millions of Republicans across the country who have yet to be heard from. Ending this race prematurely means they don't get a voice and they don't have a choice." "I know there are those who say 'let's just get this over with,' but folks, elections can be messy." |
