Road runner Huckabee looks to pick up the pace

By Dave Turbide, Union Leader: The metaphor couldn't have been more obvious, but Mike Huckabee couldn't resist. Lining up to run the Seven Hills of Somersworth 5K road raced yesterday (5/5/07), the former Arkansas governor and current Republican Presidential candidate described the election process as more of a marathon than a sprint. "Running (a road race) is such a great metaphor for politics," said Huckabee, before running the 3.1-mile race with former 1st District congressman Jeb Bradley. "The runners who rush out early and get a quick lead are not necessarily the ones that win the race. A runner and a candidate must set out at a pace that they can maintain. As I like to say: 'My race, my pace.' " . . .

"New Hampshire voters will pick the candidates, not someone in a (television) studio or someone who can just write a big check," he said, taking a brief break from greeting fellow runners, supporters and prospective voters outside Somersworth Middle School. The recent trend of other states moving their Presidential primaries closer to New Hampshire's has produced a front-loaded schedule that short-changes the voters, he said. "People should be able to ask the candidates questions in small groups. You don't want to lose the grass roots in New Hampshire and other states, the people-to-people contact. When money becomes the prime criterion for selecting a President, that will be a terrible day in this country. The election process as it stands now, a state-by-state over a period of time, tests the mettle of the candidate. Having all the primaries at one time would be detrimental to the process. Candidates have to be given the opportunity to prove themselves over time." [Read More]

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Tags: Arkansas, GOP, marathon, Mike Huckabee, presidential candidate, Republican