Political Insider: Huckabee Will Run To Finish Line, Says Jewish Supporter
Posted By Adam DickterPolitical Insider: Huckabee Will Run To Finish Line, Says Jewish Supporter
A top Jewish supporter and fundraiser for Mike Huckabee, who has run two marathons with him, says the trailing GOP candidate will stay in the race until the finish line.
"You don't start out in a marathon knowing that you're going to quit," says Dr. Jeffrey Ross, a Houston podiatrist. "You're going to finish the marathon. Probably one of his background feelings is that he didn't start this thing out to quit midstream."
A Rhode Island Democrat turned Texas Republican Ross, 54, believes Huckabee is undaunted by the mathematical impossibility of wresting the party's nomination from frontrunner John McCain, and will stick it out until the Republican convention.
"McCain has had nothing negative to say about [Huckabee's] remaining in the race," says Ross. "He probably admires him for doing so, and still expressing his opinions on issues and strong convictions."
Huckabee has won a series of southern states, including Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and West Virginia. Ross is campaigning for him in his home state, one of the biggest prizes in the race, which holds its primary on March 4.
While Huckabee has dismissed talk of his seeking the vice presidential nomination, Ross believes that's one reason the former Arkansas governor won't drop out. The other is to command enough delegates to influence the party platform.
Ross, who co-chairs Texas Gov. Rick Perry's commission on fitness, says he's supporting Huckabee because of his position on health care and prevention and because of the governor's personal commitment to physical fitness: he lost over 100 pounds after being diagnosed as a diabetic and maintains an exercise regimen. Huckabee opposes mandatory universal health care, which Ross feels will put too much bureaucracy into the medical profession. He also says Huckabee's position paper on Israel is "one of the strongest out there."
Ross, who belongs to Conservative and Reform synagogues in Houston, says he isn't concerned about the Southern Baptist minister's strong religious pronouncements and how he might weaken the separation of church and state, because Huckabee respects other faiths.
"He has said that he did not govern Arkansas with a steeple over the capital dome," says Ross. "I really liked that quote … I was a guest at his mansion on a Friday night. When he said prayers before dinner I asked if I could say some Hebrew prayers."
Because the governor doesn't drink alcohol, Kiddush was out, so Ross said the hamotze, the prayer over bread, and shehechiyanu, the prayer of thanks for milestones.
"You should have seen the smile on his face and how delighted he was," says Ross.
He later presented Huckabee with a Seder plate from Israel at a fundraiser.