From Florida to the White House?
The results came in last night for the Florida Republican Primary. As I watched the results being tallied from time to time, it appeared that for once the pollsters predicted results perfectly.
John McCain and Mitt Romney were in front from the very beginning, with Rudy Guiliani at third place, Mike Huckabee in fourth and Ron Paul down in the pack with the other non-contestants. McCain, who had the endorsements of the very popular Florida Governor and Republican Senator, started 1% point ahead right out of the gates. It stayed pretty close for a while, then Romney fell to 5% behind and that is how it finished.
Romney spent lots of money in Florida and it looks like he intends on continuing the spending. But Guiliani has seen the writing on the wall and is scheduled to endorse McCain’s candidacy some time today. In spite of his poor showings in every primary, except his initial win in Iowa, Huckabee continues in the race, hoping to take a win from one of the southern states. Perhaps Arkansas? At least while he continues, the conservative vote is split between he and Romney. This is definitely to McCain’s advantage.
Meanwhile, the Republican side has become as contentious as the Democratic field.
Speaking of the Democrats, although Florida - like Michigan, has been stripped of it’s Democratic delegates, Hillary Clinton won big. John Edwards made such a poor showing that it has been reported that he will announce his resignation from the campaign today in New Orleans. That effectively formalizes the Democratic campaign as a two-man race, which is what it really has been all along, with the exception of the upset results in Iowa.
So now the remaining candidates are plotting their strategies before Super Tuesday. It’s now only six days until the primaries and caucuses swing into action, so we may have the answers to a few questions on Februrary 5th. Will Ron Paul continue with his Libertarian-Republican internet campaign, or will he face facts? Alan Keyes? Mike Gravel? Does anyone even remember that they are in the race? Will Mike Huckabee win anywhere?
Most importantly: Do the results of the Florida Primary, with John McCain and Hillary Clinton as the big winners, predict who will be in the final running for the White House?
Ah! So many questions, and so few answers.
Tags: Alan Keyes, Barack Obama, delegates, Democrats, Florida Republican primary, Hillary Clinton, Iowa caucus, John Edwards, John McCain, Michigan Primary, Mike Gravel, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Politics, Presidential, Presidential primary, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudi Guiliani, Super Tuesday, White HouseLeave a Reply
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