McCain wins Republican nomination

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) captures the Republican nomination by reaching the necessary delegate count, according to The Associated Press. (Video provided by MSNBC.com.)

By Michelle Westgate
Staff Writer

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) claimed victory Tuesday after reaching the necessary 1,191 delegates to guarantee the Republican Party nomination for president. In Texas, Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.) formally stepped out of the race after losing all four states during tonight’s primaries.

Primary races in Vermont, Ohio, Rhode Island and Texas have earned McCain a total number of 208 delegates Tuesday. This, according to estimates by The Associated Press, will secure the 1191 delegates necessary to win the party nomination.

“The contest begins tonight,” McCain said in a victory speech given to a room full of cheering supporters. He vowed to fight for a capable, wise, brave, and decent government. “That is our responsibility and I will not let you down,” he said.

Huckabee acknowledged that McCain would receive the presidential nomination for the Republican Party. “I extended to him not only my congratulations, but my commitment to him,” he said.

Huckabee expressed the importance of bringing the party together, supporting the presidential candidate, and working to maintain the party principles.

“Until our country is all that we hope and pray it to be, we won’t be able to walk away completely,” Huckabee said.

McCain described a group of people who control the future and write history. “That is the essence of hope in America,” McCain said. “Hope built on courage, and faith in the values and principles that have made us great.”

President Bush will officially endorse McCain tomorrow afternoon at a press conference at the White House, according to a statement.

At the University tonight, students gathered in the Mack student center to watch the results of the primaries. Several students were not surprised by the McCain victory, but many did not believe they would support him in the upcoming presidential election.

“I’m not going to vote for a republican just because I am a Republican,” said Greg Evangelista, a senior political science major. “There are a lot of people who will do that,” he said.

Evangelista does not plan on supporting McCain in the upcoming November election.

McCain wins Wisconsin, Washington state primaries

John McCain attacked Barack Obama in his victory speech after winning the Wisconsin primaries. Later in the night, he was also announced the winner of the Washington state primary. (Video provided by MSNBC.com)

By Michelle Westgate

Staff Writer

John McCain can add Wisconsin and Washington state to the list of states he has won this primary season.

With 92 percent of precincts reporting in Wisconsin, McCain has won 55 percent of the votes, while Mike Huckabee has received 37 percent of the votes. In Washington, where some of the delegates were already elected in caucuses held on Feb. 9, McCain won with 49 percent of the vote, with 53 percent of precincts reporting.

Huckabee only captured 21 percent of the vote there, with 23 percent of voters choosing "other."

“Even a superstitious naval aviator can claim with confidence and humility that I will be our party’s nominee for president of the United States,” McCain said at a rally tonight in Columbus, OH, as he thanked Wisconsin for this latest success.

In the speech, he also attacked Barack Obama. "I will fight every moment of every day in this campaign to make sure Americans are not deceived by an eloquent but empty call for change," he said.

The Washington state caucuses, which allocated the rest of the state's delegates, held on Feb. 9 are in legal limbo. McCain was declared victorious with only 87 percent of the votes counted, and Huckabee filed a lawsuit demanding a recount of the caucus results. McCain's margin of victory over Huckabee in the caucus was 2 percent, 26 percent to 24 percent.

McCain spent the last four days collecting key endorsements, including former candidate Mitt Romney, who announced that he was supporting McCain, and he encouraged his delegates to do the same.

“This is a man capable of leading our country at a dangerous hour,” Romney said.

In addition to the support of Romney, former President George H.W. Bush also endorsed McCain this week. Both Romney and Bush refer to McCain’s experience as a war hero when citing his ability to lead the nation.

“His character was forged in the crucible of war,” Bush said. “His commitment to America is beyond any doubt.”

Despite the recent endorsements, McCain still appears to be struggling to gain the support of the party’s more conservative members. In CNN exit polls tonight, 42 percent of GOP voters said McCain was not conservative enough. However, moderate voters and less conservative voters carried him to victory.

"Will the next President have the experience...and the strength of purpose to respond...in ways that strengthen our security?" McCain asked as he attacked Obama on foreign policy. "Or will we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate who once suggested invading our ally, Pakistan?

"I’m not the youngest candidate, but I am the most experienced,” he said.

The Republicans: Finding a Nominee

By Michelle Westgate

Staff Writer

Super Tuesday's primary contests confirmed the frontrunner status of Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), who captured both the most and the largest states up for grabs in the Republican contests. But the results also showed the resurgence of Gov. Mike Huckabee (Ark.), who was written off for dead after poor showings in South Carolina and Florida prior to the almost-national contest.

Twenty-one states held Republican contests during the largest primary event in modern U.S.-political history. Early in the day, candidates John McCain and Mitt Romney appeared to be the Republican front-runners.

McCain captured states traditionally won by Democrats during the general election, including New York, New Jersey and California. Huckabee won some important southern states, including Tennessee, West Virginia, Alabama and his native state of Arkansas.

Richard Himelfarb, an associate professor of political science, described Huckabee’s advance as an upset. “What this says is that McCain has not sealed the deal yet,” he said.

In a speech Tuesday night from Little Rock, Ark., Huckabee said: "A lot of people have been trying to say that this is a two-man race. You know what? It is, and we're in it."

After the results were announced, NBC News reported that Romney was going to have "frank discussions" with senior staff at his Boston campaign headquarters on Wednesday.

Most of the states that held Republican contests on Super Tuesday were winner-take-all, giving McCain's victories in nine states added importance. He leads with 522 delegates, with Romney taking 223 and Huckabee winning 142, according to Associated Press estimates. Nearly 1,200 delegates are needed to win the nomination.

“I think we must get used to the idea that we are the Republican Party front-runner for the nomination of President of the United States," McCain said at his election night rally in Phoenix, Ariz. "And I don't really mind it one bit.”