Do they 'Heart' Huckabee – or Hate Hillary?

TALLAHASSEE – When the horse race is on, the conversation quickly moves beyond debates over the nuances of various political "brands" to the simple topic of "Who's winning the race?" But, Rasmussen Reports startling trend in their most recent national poll. Republican long-shot, Gov. Mike Huckabee, is locked in a statistical dead-heat with Democratic frontrunner Sen. Hillary Clinton leading 46-43.

While Rasmussen argues that Huckabee's star is on the rise, they also make the compelling claim that Sen. Clinton has become a "unifying force" in the Republican party, thereby elevating the numbers of anyone racing against her.

This finding augers well for the soft-spoken Huckabee, who has carefully cultivated his image as neighborly conservative, whose devoutly religious views are driven by a serene sense of personal sincerity, rather than shrill animosity towards those whose beliefs may run counter to his own. In a moment of tremendous economic and military uncertainty, Huckabee offers the quiet confidence of comfortable conservatism, rather than rhetorical red meat and fire-breathing fear mongering.

If other polls concur with Rasmussen, Huckabee may yet emerge as the kindler, gentler, authentically paleo-conservative alternative to Rudy Guiliani's scorched earth neo-conservatism – and a potential outlet for the Evangelicals of the Christian Right.

At the same time, we also have a nagging feeling that the current support for any Republican nominee against Sen. Clinton might force the Democrats to reconsider the effectiveness of Sen. Clinton's brand and start looking for alternatives that come closer to ensuring a Democratic trip to the winner's circle. And, according to the new Marist poll, it looks like New Hampshire's Democrats are beginning to have some serious second thoughts, with her seemingly insurmountable 21-point lead slashed to 11. The pack is tightening as they approach the final turns, and Democrats might just be in for a photo finish.