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Posted: March 4, 2008 6:08 PM
McCain Enters Tuesday Contests Just Shy of "Official" Nomination
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For weeks now, Arizona Sen. John McCain has campaigned as the “presumptive” Republican nominee. With more than 250 delegates up for grabs on Tuesday, predicted wins in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont would nudge him over the magic number of 1,191 to officially capture the GOP nomination.

Heading into Tuesday, McCain had 1,014 delegates according to the Associated Press, about 170 shy of a victory speech.

His opponent, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, trails with just 257 delegates.

“The nomination is not secured until someone has 1,191 delegates,” Huckabee said after the Potomac primaries on Feb. 12. “That has not happened yet. So we march on, every time we win we are ecstatic; every time we don’t win, we are disappointed but not knocked out.”

Huckabee’s one-liners haven’t fazed McCain, who enjoys a seemingly insurmountable delegate lead.

“I still respect the right of Gov. Huckabee to stay in the race as long as he wants to,” McCain said according to the Washington Post.

McCain has begun to transition his team and message from a primary- to a general-election operation that will focus on national security. He has also shifted his attacks toward Sen. Barack Obama who leads his rival Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Democratic delegate count.

Last week McCain and Obama sparred over Iraq,, stepping up their roles as front-runners and keeping Clinton and Huckabee out of the debate.

McCain later jumped into the Democrats’ debate over Clinton’s ad that questioned who would be best person to answer the phone in the White House during a late-night crisis.

“I’ve been involved in every major national security challenge for the last 20 years that has faced this country. I look forward to having that debate as to who’s most qualified in the event of a national crisis and the phone ringing at 3 a.m. in the White House.”

McCain spent the weekend showing off his grill prowess for the press at his ranch in Arizona before he returned to Texas for some last-minute campaign stops on Monday and Tuesday. He will hold his election night party in Dallas.

Huckabee campaigned heavily in Texas on Saturday, Sunday and Monday and will be watching the primary results from Irving, Texas. One of his most visible supporters, actor Chuck Norris, joined him on the trail backing him up in his delegate fight: “If [Huckabee] wins Texas, you know, John McCain can’t get all 1,191 delegates,” Norris said.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul also remains in the GOP race, but has cut back on presidential campaign activity. He is also defending his seat in Congress on Tuesday. Paul had 14 delegates before the Tuesday contests.

McCain leads in all GOP polls from Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont

Vermont’s GOP primary is winner-takes-all for its 14 delegates. While the other three states are allocated proportionally, McCain is still expected to easily cross the nomination line after Tuesday’s contests.