Why does Mike Huckabee keep fighting in a contest he knows he cannot win, ignoring the growing calls to bow out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination? The conventional wisdom is that he wants the vice-president slot on the ticket in November.

I think its actually something much simpler than that: he wants to finish second.

Wait a minute, you argue, hes already finished second! No, technically he has not. Mitt Romney has won more delegates than Huckabee. Romneys count is 285, to Huckabees 240.

The former Arkansas governor has insisted that he has every right to stay in the race until someone reaches the magic number of 1,191, the total needed to secure the nomination. But thats just a smokescreen, a bit of misdirection. Huckabee knows that it is impossible to overtake John McCain, but he can hang in the race and officially snatch the Silver Medal from Mitt Romney. Thats the prize he seeks.

Both Romney and Huckabee could have presidential aspirations in 2012, and being able to claim an undisputed second place finish in 2008 would be important for either man.

Huckabee wants to become a force in the Republican Party, and hes smart enough to realize that he cant keep on causing problems for McCain without some consequences. Look for him to suspend his campaign as soon as he passes Romney. When he makes that speech, there wont be any mention of Mitt, itll all be about party unity. But dont kid yourself - this has all been about an undisputed second place finish.



last edited: 9 months ago