Mike Huckabee Wins Iowa Caucus
Defeats Mitt Romney as Evangelical Christians Vote in Record Numbers
Jan 4, 2008
Last night, US presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee won the Iowa Caucus, the first opportunity for Americans to make their voices heard in the 2008 presidential elections. Although the caucus doesn’t actually determine Iowa’s choice for president (that doesn’t happen until June), in past elections, the caucus has earned a reputation for helping to determine America’s next president.
Until very recently, the former governor of Arkansas was considered a long shot for the race, often referring to himself as the “underdog” in the Republican primary. Until six weeks ago, his approval ratings were in the single digits, but last night, Huckabee acquired 34% of the Republican vote in Iowa.
Although Huckabee spent far less money on campaigning than last night’s second place winner, he won last night’s caucus with a 9-point lead over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, long considered a favorite in the Republican primary.
How Did Huckabee Do It?
Huckabee claims that he’s the real “change candidate” in this election--the only candidate who will move beyond the status quo. Huckabee also claims to have risen above the negative campaigning that may have hurt Romney’s reputation in Iowa. He called Iowa’s recent television programming a “sewer” of negative attack ads, insinuating that most of them came from Romney.
But the primary reason for former Baptist minister Huckabee’s big win may have more to do with who chose to vote for him: 60% of Huckabee’s vote came from Evangelical Christians. In recent years, Evangelicals have gained increasing attention for their ability to organize around a chosen candidate, typically, a candidate who appears to possess the moral values to which they subscribe.
In an interview for the TODAY Show, Romney, a Mormon, aptly noted that “[Huckabee] didn’t have to spend the money to get [the Evangelicals] to line up or organize.” In other words, they’re plenty motivated on their own.
The Evangelical Christians’ increasing ability to elect a candidate of choice, as they did in the 2004 election, was captured in filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi’s documentary, Friends of God. In many of the “mega-churches” in the southern states, pastors even endorse candidates from the pulpit, encouraging congregants to work together to support to elect the church’s preferred candidate.
President Huckabee?
So what would President Huckabee mean for America? If you focus on the moral issues that matter most to Evangelical voters, it could mean the end of a woman’s right to choose (he’s against abortion), more war in Iraq (he thinks pulling out now would be a huge mistake), and the illegalization of gay marriage (he did it in Arkansas).
All this from a candidate who claims to be “for the people.”
The primary election and caucus process in the US will continue state-by-state through June 2008, but typically, the Democratic and Republican candidates are evident by the March primaries. Once each party has determined a candidate, two candidates—a Republican and Democrat—will go on to compete in the general election, which will be held on November 4, 2008.
Soon, the fight for the next president will be a two person race. Right now, it’s still anyone’s guess who those candidates will be. But if the 2004 election is any indication, more Americans need to start organizing. Now.
Related articles:
 |
 |
 |
 |
