Thursday CPAC was all about the Romney signs. Friday, it was all about the McCain signs. Today, it’s all about ‘I Like Mike’ signs (and the only slightly less popular ‘Stop McCain’s Shamnesty’ signs). Huck went over well here, with a dedicated audience of fans. His speech even earned him a fresh endorsement: Congressman John Culberson (R-TX). He has been uncommitted since Duncan Hunter left the race, but (I can exclusively disclose) he is now backing Mike Huckabee — who he says has a good chance to win the Texas primary. I have other hopes: I want to see Huckabee serve in the Senate starting in January, 2009 — and cast the decisive vote to return Harry Reid to his previous job as Minority Leader. The Arkansas GOP currently lacks a strong contender in the race against incumbent Senator Mark Pryor. The race would be sure to be close, in a purple state, if Huckabee were the Republican nominee. And given the big boost to his profile as a result of his presidential race, he might enter the race a favorite. He’d certainly be able to raise the needed money. The Arkansas filing deadline is March 10, so there’s plenty of time for Huckabee to change gears. A Senate run in a key state would give him the chance to win over fiscal conservatives who were skeptical of him as a presidential candidate. A term in the Senate (or part of a term) would allow him to burnish defense and foreign policy credentials that hurt him in his presidential run. How about it Governor? You’d make a lot of friends.
