We thought we would bring you this piece from the WSJ Poltiical Diary E-mail because our own Dan Schnur, FR State Capitol Correspondent, is quoted (or is that re-quoted)?
Why is Mike Huckabee staying in the Republican race even though it is now mathematically impossible to win the nomination?
The answer is: Why not? His base among evangelicals is such that he can do surprisingly well in states like Virginia, where he only lost to John McCain by nine points last night. He builds up more media credibility as a possible running mate for Mr. McCain, who might not want to risk alienating Mr. Huckabee’s socially conservative followers. And the former Arkansas governor clearly enjoys campaigning.
Republicans would be wise not to pressure Mr. Huckabee to leave the race. "No one is entitled to tell you to drop out of the race except your spouse," is how former White House aide Karl Rove put it last night on Fox News.
Indeed, Dan Schnur, John McCain’s communications director in 2000, says that a continued Huckabee candidacy gives the McCain campaign a chance to stay relevant in a news cycle that is now dominated by the knockdown Democratic fight between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. "As long as the Democrats keep fighting it out on the other side, [Huckabee] has got the luxury of time," Mr. Schnur told The Hill newspaper.