Huckabee the darling of the evangelical vote?

U.S. News and World Report, in its Washington Whispers column, is stating that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is the out-of-the-gate favourite to capture the evangelical vote in the GOP primaries.

Evangelical Vote: Down to Two

The race to win the Christian-right vote has already narrowed to a battle between former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, say activists. And for many at this month's closed-door summit of the Council for National Policy-a top-secret club of marquee conservative advocates-Huckabee was the 60-40 fave, say attendees. This crowd counts: Members include Focus on the Family founder James Dobson and Left Behind author Tim LaHaye. Huckabee, a Baptist minister, wowed the confab, even though it's Romney who has won over evangelical leaders. What's more, activists say "in-the-pew evangelicals" will most likely gravitate toward Huckabee, who is strong on marriage and antiabortion issues.

Well, that helps Huckabee, especially after the Club For Growth, a conservative, low-tax policy group has repeatedly hammered Huckabee on his fiscal record in Arkansas. That, and the fact that hardly anyone yet knows who he is.

This could get interesting.

Huckabee, though, will not have moved into the big-time ranks until National Review Online's The Corner blog starts listing Huckabee in its daily Around the Web post, collecting news stories and such about the candidates. Maybe Huckabee actually has to get some press first, though.