In this Washington Time's article from back in October, it opined on the possibility that Mike Huckabee's evangelical supporters might bolt from the Republican Party to form a 3rd party if they weren't getting the proper respect from the Republican establishment. Those inside the Party feared, of course, that this would automatically hand the Presidency to the Democrats.
Well, with Huck's victory tonight in the Iowa caucus, its apparent that he is getting the respect from the Republican party voters but that does not make him any less of a 3rd party candidate.
We don't want to be a tease but its late and there will definetely be more on this later but.... Huckabee has wound up as a defacto 3rd party candidate precisely because he wants to be a 3rd party candidate. Any legitimate questions of his record as Governor of Arkansas have been viewed by he and his supporters as either attacks from "the Establishment" or "the Beltway" of the Republican Party or attacks on Huckabee because he is an evangelical Christian and they have spared nothing in publically expressing the same.
He has purposefully played the victim role to set himself outside what his campaign portrays as the establishment of the Party and that's what rubs us the wrong way and that is what may possibly divide the Republican Party just as effectively if he split to run on a 3rd Party ticket.
Its the issues, stupid... We nor any fellow (R)s we know hold Huck's fervent Christianity against him but that is precisely what he wants people to think. Its going to come with a price, though - either for him or the Party. The longer he plays the victim role, the more primary voters are going to be turned off by it. Its now just a race against time to see whether or not he can secure enough delegates to win the nomination before everyone wakes up to his schtick.
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