Huckabee Supporters In Washington State Angle For A Candidate Visit

Joe Fuiten, pastor of Cedar Park Church in Bothel and the Huckabee campaign chair for Washington state, said he was pleasantly surprised with last night's results for his man. "It was a great night," he said. "More than we could hope for" [for Huckebee].

The former Arkansas governor won his home state, along with Alabama, Georgia, West Virginia and Tennessee, bringing his delegate total to 187. "I think we're doing decent," he added. Fuiten said that last night, while a reminder of Huckabee's strong appeal to Christian evangelicals, is also an indication that his candidate might have a broader appeal to conservatives in general.

"I think he's a broad candidate," he said. "Reporters love to pretend that they know what's going on," he said in regards to Romney's attempts to appeal to the same demographic as Huckabee. And Romney's "propaganda" that a vote for Huckabee is a vote for Arizona Sen. John McCain "If there's three people in the race, that's just the way things are," he said. Fuiten said he hopes that any new broad appeal for Huckabee will appeal to conservatives on the Eastside.

Danille Turissini, Huckabee's Washington state coordinator echoed Fuiten. "I'm very proud of him," she said, referring to Huckabee. "His message is resonating with ordinary people." She said that she's been getting calls from former Rep. Duncan Hunter supporters, asking how they can caucus for Huckabee. Turissini and Fuiten both said that Huckabee might be coming to town tomorrow or Friday in advance of Washington's Saturday caucuses.

If Huckabee does come to town, he'll be stopping by a local conservative Christian talk show and a rock station, said Turissini. While she's still waiting to hear from her counterpart in Arkansas, if and when Huckabee does come to town, he'll also making an appearance at Northwest University in Kirkland, but that's not been confirmed.

Either way, "people are starting to get excited," she said.