Although I have been a longtime supporter of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, I do not think that he is the right choice for John McCain to choose as his running mate. To compete with the dynamic Barack Obama, John McCain needs to choose someone with charisma that will appeal to working class. He will also need a running mate that can shore up his support in the South and Midwest. Choosing Huckabee instead of Romney will probably eliminate the chances that Obama has in states like Georgia and Virginia. The guitar-playing, populist former minister from Hope, Arkansas has the charisma that McCain needs to showcase. He also appears young and sincere.
Huckabee was a surprise in the primaries, never given much of a shot. Indeed, he was rarely given questions to answer at early debates when McCain, Guiliani and Romney were in the spotlight. Huckabee was given about as much as time as Senator Brownback, Representative Paul and Representative Tancredo. When Fred Thompson entered the race, the media believed that Thompson would cut off a lot of the appeal that Huckabee had early on. The media has often been proved dreadfully wrong in this election. Huckabee performed well in Iowa and in the South. It is my belief that he will do well campaigning out West also, where people share his values. The only pitfall to choosing Huckabee over Romney, Jindal and others seems to be that Huckabee is not the strongest in Michigan. It is my belief, however, that Republicans must do all they can to first shore up support in red states before attempting to take away blue states. The map in the past few elections has favored Republicans.
So, John McCain, my advice to you is to select someone that can hold the base. If you can maintain the Bush ‘04 states you will win. McCain and Huckabee are both great Americans. Indeed, they are both admirable leaders. They are friends and there are few soundbites in the primary where they have argued like McCain and Romney have. Huckabee is young enough to put Americans at ease about McCain’s age. He is also capable enough to be President of the United States.
