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Posted: February 5, 2008 10:52 PM
Huckabee Crashes Supposed "Two-Man" Race
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While Arizona Sen. John McCain is cleaning up in the Northeast as expected, the candidate raising the most eyebrows Tuesday night is former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Huckabee had fallen to second-tier status in many media outlets in the run-up to Super Tuesday but has carried five states so far tonight: West Virginia, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia.

“Today has been a day when the people have spoken, and today people across this county are saying ‘Yes we heard what the pundits say, but this is our vote not theirs,’ ” Huckabee told supporters during a victory speech in Arkansas.

“Over the past few days a lot of people have been trying to say this is a two-man race. And you know what, it is! And we’re in it!”

As Time Magazine’s Michael Scherer writes, “the third wheel has come to dance”.

“In Georgia, Tennessee and Missouri, three states where Romney campaigned over the last two days, the GOP electorate is roughly divided into thirds, not split down the middle.”

David Brooks echoed similar sentiments Tuesday night on the NewsHour.

“He’s does genuinely well and he’s having a very good night. In many of these states, he’s displaced Mitt Romney as the alternative to John McCain,” said Brooks, who added he is watching Missouri closely to see if Huckabee can pull out a big win there.

“The good news for [McCain] is that his opposition tonight is coming from Huckabee and not Mitt Romney,” because Romney is the only real viable candidate, Brooks said.