McCain sweeps primaries, but not conservatives

BY TOM BRUNE | tom.brune@newsday.com

11:16 PM EST, February 12, 2008

Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, speaks to supporters as U.S. Sen. John Warner, R-VA, cheers during a primary night party in Alexandria, Va. (AP Photo / February 12, 2008)

WASHINGTON - Republican front-runner John McCain survived rough waters in the Potomac Primary yesterday, winning all three contests, but nearly getting swamped by Mike Huckabee in Virginia.

Just over half of Virginia voters told exit polls that McCain isn't conservative enough as he lost big to Huckabee among evangelical and born-again Christians, and frequent listeners to conservative talk shows.

But McCain still won Virginia, 50 percent to Huckabee's 41 percent, largely by doing well in District of Columbia suburbs and winning more than two to one among the majority of the state's voters who are not evangelicals.

McCain also easily won in District of Columbia, with 67 percent to Huckabee's 17 percent, and in Maryland, where early returns showed McCain with 56 percent to Huckabee's 33 percent.

At his victory party in Alexandria, Va., McCain congratulated Huckabee, his "spirited campaign" and his "passionate supporters."

"He certainly keeps things interesting, a little too interesting at times tonight, I must confess," McCain said to laughs. "But I have even more reason to appreciate just how formidable a campaigner he is."

McCain looked back on his comeback campaign, and forward to taking on either Barack Obama, who also swept the primaries, or Hillary Clinton.

"We have come a long way in this campaign, and we have had our ups and downs," McCain said.

"But as luck, that product of opportunity and industry, would have it," he said, "we are approaching the end of the first half of this election on quite an upswing."

He added, "My friends, I am fired up and ready to go."

At his election night party in Little Rock, Ark., Huckabee appeared to be disappointed, his upset in Virginia falling short.

"The next several weeks are going to be the very intense weeks, when a lot of the delegates are at stake," Huckabee said of upcoming primaries in the big states of Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

"So we march on," Huckabee said, adding once again that he would not quit until someone wins the 1,191 delegates needed to clinch the nomination.

What McCain called a "clean sweep" eased his embarrassment at losing Kansas and Louisiana to Huckabee on Saturday.

And it padded McCain's commanding lead in delegates, giving him 789 delegates to Huckabee's 241, according to a tally by The Associated Press.

Ron Paul, who won 5 percent in Virginia, 4 percent in Maryland and 8 percent in Washington, has 14 delegates.

What was forecast to be an easy trifecta of victories for McCain in Maryland, Virginia and District of Columbia -- polls had projected he would win by more than 30 points -- turned into a long, uncertain night.

Even Maryland became a waiting game after a court ordered voting extended by 90 minutes to 9:30 p.m. because of bad weather and traffic.