Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Huckabee's cash is going the way of Fred Thompson

It is being widely reported now that Mike Huckabee's campaign is critically short of funds with many workers accepting no salary or simply quitting for lack of payment. With Florida coming, which requires expensive television advertising, and Tsunami Tuesday after that with multiple states to cover in a very short time period, questions are being raised as to whether Huckabee can go the distance.

Campaign contributions continue to come in, he said. But he acknowledged that Huckabee is stretched thin as he tries to compete in Florida's primary and many of the two dozen states holding contests Feb. 5.
Huckabee's campaign has stopped arranging charter flights, hotel reservations and other means of helping journalists keep up with his movements. News organizations pay their own expenses, but empty seats on charter planes were costing the campaign money.
"We are running our campaign in a very frugal manner," Huckabee said. "We have operated in the black. If we don't have it, we don't expend it."
This, of course raises the question of whether Social Conservatives will have a horse left in the race for Tsunami Tuesday. Could the race be transformed if they are forced to embrace Mitt Romney, to avoid voting for Rudy Guiliani or John McCain? Or will one of them be able to make the argument and re-form the Reagan coalition? Or will Mike Huckabee see a miraculous comeback?

And I have to wonder, if not for McCain-Feingold, would Huckabee be able to stay in the race longer?

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