Huckabee Scores 1st Blood With W.Va. Victory

Ex-Ark. gov takes down Romney after McCain voters' 2nd-round switch
Posted Feb 5, 2008 2:43 PM CST
Huckabee Scores 1st Blood With W.Va. Victory
Republican presidential hopeful, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee speaks at the West Virginia Republican Presidential Convention, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008, in Charleston, W.Va. (AP Photo/Jeff Gentner)   (Associated Press)

Mike Huckabee won the first 18 delegates awarded on Super Tuesday, capturing the West Virginia convention over Mitt Romney, 557-522. The ex-Arkansas governor won the contest in the second round after John McCain voters shifted to him, irking Romney supporters. Said one Romney booster, “These are the juvenile actions of a morally bankrupt campaign.”

Romney won the first round with 40.9% of the vote to Huckabee’s 33.1%, McCain’s 15.5% and Ron Paul’s 10.4%, the Charleston Gazette reports. A candidate needs a majority to win the convention, and the second-round move by McCain voters pushed Huckabee over the top. Said a McCain supporter, “The best scenario for the McCain campaign was to not have a Romney victory here today.” (More Mike Huckabee stories.)

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