Huckabee rallies the faithful in College Park

On Delegates: 'I Majored In Miracles, Not Math'

Former Gov. Mike Huckabee: Enveloped by supporters and pressFormer Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee told a crowd of supporters at the University of Maryland in College Park that he would remain in the Republican presidential race until a candidate amasses the necessary 1,191 delegates to secure the nomination.

“This campaign is not over,” Huckabee said. “People in 27 states haven’t voted yet.”

That being said, NBC News currently projects Huckabee with 195 delegates, far behind Sen. John McCain, who has 721.

Perhaps acknowledging the uphill climb that he faces, Huckabee told the crowd of largely college students, that he “did not major in math, but majored in miracles.”

“And I still believe in (miracles),” he added.

Huckabee draws good-sized crowdHuckabee officials estimated that 900 to 1,000 people packed the Grand Ballroom of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union. The campaign had expected a capacity of only 300. The Maryland primary is on Tuesday.

During his address, Huckabee pledged to balance the federal budget, and also said he would work to reform health care and education. He stressed that “music and art” needed to have a greater role in the educational curriculum throughout the country.

Focusing on a common campaign theme, Huckabee called for an overhaul in the U.S. tax code, saying he supported the so-called “fair tax,” which would not tax income, savings, and dividends, among others.

Huckabee: Speaking to reportersThe candidate said he yearned to be the president who could “nail the going out of business sign to the door of the I.R.S.”

If elected, Huckabee said he would set a goal of making the U.S. energy independent within ten years, saying energy independence was important to the nation’s “national security.”

Speaking with reporters after the rally, Huckabee said the contest was “not about states—it’s about delegates.”

When asked to highlight policy differences between himself and McCain, Huckabee said the Arizona senator “does not support a human life amendment. I do.”

The governor also said he had differences with McCain surrounding the immigration debate.

Huckabee also emphasized the civility between himself and McCain, saying, “The two people who have been the most civil are still here.”

Maryland House Delegates and Huckabee supporters Tony McConkey and Christopher Shank attended the rally. After, they both spoke with PolitickerMD.com.

When asked how Huckabee could realistically catch McCain in the delegate race, McConkey said the campaign hoped to win support from those delegates who had previously declared their intentions to support a candidate who has since dropped out, specifically Mitt Romney. Romney had some 256 delegates when he ended his candidacy.

During his press briefing, Huckabee was asked if he had spoken with Romney since the former Massachusetts governor dropped out. The candidate said he in fact did, but would not elaborate on the conversation.

McConkey also said he thought Huckabee had a good chance to win the Maryland primary, saying he envisioned the governor would perform particularly well in the first, third, and sixth districts.

The Huckabee campaign, like the Romney campaign before them, has been trying to present their candidate as the more conservative alternative to McCain.

Focusing on this theme, Shank said he thought Huckabee was the “true conservative choice” for GOP voters.

The delegate said he was “delighted” with the larger than expected capacity, saying that enthusiasm was being felt throughout the country for Huckabee. To highlight this point, the delegate referred to a recent Huckabee campaign rally in Kansas, where some 2,000 people attended.

Shank also said he “would not write (Huckabee) off,” saying the pundits had doubted that Huckabee could ever compete for nomination.

In closing, during his speech, Huckabee urged the crowd to “get out and vote on Tuesday.”