Mike Huckabee may not have had the most supporters during the Republican primaries, but he certainly had the most vocal supporters. From the get-go, Huckabee secured the support of the Religious Right’s most fringe activists and even though he didn’t win the nomination, that hasn’t stopped his supporters from continuing to push his candidacy.
Even before John McCain freaked out the right-wing base with talk of choosing a pro-choice running mate, we noted that Huckabee supporters were pressing him hard to pick their man for his number two slot. And now it looks like they are threatening to abandon McCain altogether if they don’t get their way:
A group of Michigan social conservatives who support former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee threatened Thursday to abandon Republican nominee John McCain, upset that McCain's vice presidential choice may not reflect their anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage positions.
The uproar came after a pair of meetings Wednesday -- while McCain was campaigning here -- in which his campaign hoped to strengthen its support with religious conservatives. Huckabee supporters said they were especially upset at word that, at a meeting in Birmingham between McCain and a small group of conservative activists, a top McCain ally had floated the possibility he'd pick a running mate who is for abortion rights.
"We are totally done with McCain at this point," said Debra Mantey, one of the organizers of the other meeting, in Saginaw. She said she and many others in the group will refuse to help McCain's campaign unless Huckabee is on the ballot, or given the keynote address at the GOP convention.
Even the on-line activists who make up Huck’s Army are livid and threatening to mutiny against the GOP unless their demands are met:
WE WILL NOT VOTE FOR A MCCAIN TICKET UNLESS:
1) Mike Huckabee is the VP; or
2) Mike Huckabee is the KEY NOTE SPEAKER at the National GOP Convention
Know that our meetings here in Michigan with McCain prompted this urgent action--
Romney is being shoved down our throats here, and misinformation about us is rampant.
In addition, you may know that this also happened at one of the meetings:
"Several in attendance reported to me that Sen. Lindsey Graham seriously asked if social conservatives would support a vice president who favors abortion on demand. They were shocked the question even had to be asked, and alienated that the McCain campaign appears to be even considering it." --Gary Glenn, Mich. American Family Assn. President
So now, we know what McCain thinks of us and our issues. He is only concerned with catering to the independent voters. We, who supported Mike Huckabee, the millions of voters who earned him a 2nd place in delegate count--are being ignored by McCain. McCain must know that he will LOSE not only Michigan without us, but the election. At this point, he does not HAVE US. We've tried repeatedly to reach out to him, and he has ignored us.
