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primaries in South Carolina and Florida. This is remarkable for a man who many thought had little chance only a few months earlier. The other big surprise must be that Mitt Romney, a man who has invested much of his vast personal fortune into the campaign, hasn't had better results. Mike Huckabee proved to be the more popular candidate in the south. If Mike Huckabee had dropped out of the race after his disappointing finish in Florida, Mitt Romney might have given John McCain a tougher fight, but conservative voters in the south were never really comfortable with Mitt Romney. Social conservatives were probably suspicious of his positions on issues such as abortion and homosexuality and preferred Mike Huckabee.

Some speculate that Mitt Romney is now in a position to be John McCain's running mate. This appears doubtful because the two men are clearly not very fond of one another. However, this alone doesn't rule out the possibility because John F. Kennedy, though he didn't like Lyndon B. Johnson, selected him to be his running mate, and went on to win the presidency in 1960.

Mike Huckabee is probably a better choice for John McCain. The reasons are that he's the choice of social conservatives and has more appeal in the south, a region where John McCain needs to do well to counter the Democrats' strength in the west and northeast. Also, it was Mike Huckabee's strength in the south and his ability to split the conservative vote opposed to John McCain that forced Mitt Romney to suspend his campaign. In gratitude, John McCain might ask Mike Huckabee to be his running mate. With his surprisingly strong results in the south, he appears to have earned it.

The biggest surprises of the presidential race are the incredibly close race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the success of John McCain, the decision by Mitt Romney to suspend his campaign, and the longevity of Mike Huckabee. A long and bitter contest between the two Democratic candidates may be to John McCain's advantage. At the same time, though, he needs to assure conservatives in the Republican party that he's truly one of them. If he doesn't, they may not support him in the same numbers they supported President Bush.

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