Mac's extraordinary comback

By Lee Bandy
SouthCarolina Insider

(1/11/07) Buoyed by his recent victory in New Hampshire, John McCain declared, “We’re going to win the (Republican presidential) nomination.”

He had just toppled his chief rival, Mitt Romney, in an extraordinary comeback.

McCain’s people couldn’t believe it. Just this summer he had been given up for dead politically.

He lost his top staffers. He had run out of money. He had to shutdown campaign offices. He couldn’t pay the rent. His campaign was dragging bottom.

Then thanks to an assist from loyal friends and neighbors – and the adoption of some serious belt tightening measures – McCain was able to right his campaign.

Today, the McCain campaign is hitting on all eight cylinders. And causing waves.

“Mac is back.”

Today, the battleground for the Republican presidential nomination has shifted to South Carolina where each of the three leading candidates believes he has certain advantages.

The state’s GOP presidential primary is set for Saturday, Jan. 19. It boils down to a three-man battle between McCain, the U.S. senator from Arizona; Michigan favorite son Romney; and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

McCain has surged back into a strong position. He has benefited from the general dissatisfaction Republican voters feel about his rivals, who they say have failed to sell themselves to a broad, conservative audience.

McCain holds a strong lead over most of the field. He is looking to finish off Romney.

According to exit polls, McCain is seen as the most electable Republican. He also is favored by those who value experience. He was considered the strongest leader and most qualified to be commander-in-chief. He won the moderate vote, the women vote and the independent vote.

However, McCain is not loved by all.

In 2000, he clashed with George W. Bush in what was seen as one of the nastiest, dirtiest presidential primary contest ever witnessed by anyone.

To this very day, both sides still talk about the 2000 primary and not necessarily in glowing terms.

A lot of blood was left on the floor, not to mention bitter feelings.

Richard Quinn, a senior political consultant to the McCain campaign, rejected the notion that bad blood exist today between the senator and regular party members loyal to President Bush.

“I do not see any evidence of that in polls,” he said. “McCain has high favorables in South Carolina. I think he’s very popular.”

Huckabee, former Southern Baptist pastor, is the wildcard in the race. He has surged to the front of the pack in some national polls. He also leads in some selected surveys.

Huckabee is hoping his surprise first-place showing in the Iowa caucuses will boost his support among regular Republicans.

He is looking forward to Saturday’s competition in South Carolina, a state with large numbers of evangelicals Christians, who form a natural base for Huckabee.

McCain held the advantage early on in South Carolina, collecting a long list of endorsements from Republican leaders and building a strong ground organization, only to have to lay off many of his staff members over the summer.

“Huckabee is poised to do well in South Carolina,” said Charles Dunn, political scientists at Regents University in Virginia.

McCain and Romney have exchanged angry, long-distant insults that signaled an abrupt end to the convivial Christmas message that Republican hopefuls offered voters recently.

“McCain has a lot of enemies in South Carolina,” says Francis Marion University professor Neal Thigpen. It dates back to the 2000 primary campaign against Bush.

Huckabee seeks to broaden his conservative appeal and influence.

“I think Huckabee has got McCain over a Republican barrel,” said Clemson University analyst David Woodard.

McCain argues that he is the most authentic Republican while contrasting himself with Romney and his record of shifting positions.

The more traditional Republicans are highly critical of Huckabee. They question his conservative credentials, calling him an advocate of higher taxes and big government.

Some are alarmed by his rapid rise.

Since 1980, S.C. Republicans have sorted out the field and picked the party’s nominee. In 2008, they are faced with three strong candidates in McCain, Romney and Huckabee, either of whom could win the GOP primary on Saturday.

“There’s a good chance that could happen,” said state Republican Chairman Katon Dawson.