Republican Primaries: The Aftermath

Mitt Romney - The inevitable has finally come crashing down on Romney. Considered by many the perfect candidate with his good looks, business suave, and persuasive speeches, his one fatal flaw - his track record - took him out of the clouds. Since the beginning of race, people have doubted his intentions. Romney, who was trying to appear as a Reagan-like candidate with classic Republican views, couldn't convince voters. Even if Huckabee, whom many devout Conservatives supported, wasn't in the race, it is doubtful that these voters would come to Romney's camp due to his views while the Massachusetts Governor. Romney learned that while you can change your views, it's hard to change your past.

John McCain - The Republican Nominee (almost) went through hard times, but was able to win over voters. His unchanging views stood out against Romney as well as his appearance as a middle of the road politician stood out against Huckabee. In addition, people recognized that McCain would be the Republican Candidate most likely to win against a Democrat in the general election, as he often receives a large portion of independant voters.

Mike Huckabee - While some saw his Iowa victory as the beginning of the road to the White House, people have forgotten that Iowa is a singular place. Quoting from a previous article on this blog "an Associated Press estimate said 30 to 50 percent of repubilicans going to the caucus were Evangelical Christians."* Huckabee hoped to win the primaries by being the true 'Conservative Candidate.' Following Conservative doctrine and the religous right-wing was a good strategy for places like Iowa and the South, but he forgot about the rest of the nation. In addition, because of his strict Conservative doctrine, he would have easily polarized the nation, giving reason that he would not make a good candidate in the general election. All in all, hoping that in this hotly contested primary he could get a large enough chunk of voters was long-shot, but he sure gave us a run for our money.

*http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071221/30589_Iowa_Republicans_Rank_Abortion_as_Top_Issue.htm