(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-02-12 15:03

WASHINGTON - Against overwhelming odds, Mike Huckabee keeps brushing off calls to drop his presidential bid for the good of the Republican Party. The former Arkansas governor and ordained Baptist minister is following in the footsteps of past spoilers such as Republican Ronald Reagan in 1976 and Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in 1980, who both pressed uphill primary challenges to the limits.

Republican presidential hopeful and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee autographs a campaign sign at a rally Monday, Feb. 11, 2008, in Richmond, Va. [Agencies]

Some GOP sages suggest it's hard to quit while you're still winning races, as Huckabee is doing, despite the mathematical reality of the delegate count. But then Huckabee likes to brag that he "didn't major in math, I majored in miracles," and he asserted anew on Monday his intention to stay in the race.

In those earlier challenges, the front-runners were sitting presidents. Both President Ford in 1976 and President Carter in 1980 went on to lose their re-election bids, clearly weakened by the divisive primaries.

This time there is no incumbent, but Sen. John McCain has a commanding lead. Some Republicans suggest Huckabee's insistence on staying in the race could hinder the party's ability to unify behind the front-runner.

President Bush over the weekend praised McCain as a "true conservative," although he suggested the Arizona senator still needed to mend more fences with conservatives, many of whom remain distrustful of him, especially on the issue of immigration. Jeb Bush, the president's brother and former Florida governor, endorsed McCain on Monday.

For his part, Huckabee was unbowed on the eve of contests in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, saying "I still could win. ... Nobody thought the Giants were going to win the Super Bowl, either." Huckabee also picked up the endorsement of one-time rival Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.

Huckabee says he'll drop out if he's mathematically eliminated — in other words, once McCain racks up the needed 1,191 delegates.

But that probably can't happen until April 22, when Pennsylvania votes.

For practical purposes, McCain already appears beyond Huckabee's reach. According to the latest count by The Associated Press, McCain had 729 delegates to Huckabee's 241 delegates. One factor keeping McCain from claiming a majority sooner is that Romney has yet to release his 288 delegates.

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