Republican John
McCain challenged the notion he is struggling to rally
conservative critics as he picked up the endorsement Monday
of evangelical leader Gary Bauer.
''We're doing
fine. We're doing fine,'' McCain told reporters in
Annapolis, dismissing the notion that losses in two states
on Saturday had hurt his campaign.
McCain lost in
Kansas and Louisiana on Saturday to former Arkansas
governor Mike Huckabee, although he won narrowly in
Washington State. The Arizona senator is all but
assured his party nod after rolling up huge numbers of
delegates, 719, to the national convention. Huckabee has
234.
''We have close
to 800 delegates. Last time I checked, Governor Huckabee
had very few, so I think I'm happy with the situation I'm
in,'' McCain said. ''I'm quite pleased, recognizing
that we have a lot of work to do.''
He also won the
endorsement Monday of former Florida governor Jeb Bush,
the president's brother.
The endorsement
from Bauer, a leading conservative voice, came at a
critical time as McCain shifts to campaigning as the
Republican nominee-in-waiting. McCain's emphasis since
last week, when chief rival Mitt Romney exited the
race, has been on reaching out to conservative critics
in an effort to unite the party.
In an interview,
Bauer noted McCain's strength with independent-minded
voters but added, ''He's also going to need every last one
of the conservative activists.''
''My endorsement,
at least in part, was done because I hope I can
facilitate the reconciliation there and help unite
conservatives going into what is going to be an
extraordinarily important election,'' Bauer said in an
interview with the Associated Press.
Bauer was the
latest of several conservatives to sign on, but McCain
still faces outspoken opposition from some foes, including
talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, who had threatened to
boycott a race in which McCain is the nominee. Some on
the party's right flank distrust McCain's sometimes
moderate positions and his willingness to work with
Democrats in Congress.
Bauer said McCain
would go a long way toward reconciling with his critics
by emphasizing his opposition to abortion and his support --
not at the federal level, but at the state level in
Arizona -- for a ban on same-sex marriage.
''For any
pro-life voter, the difference between John McCain and
Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama would be huge on the
life issue,'' Bauer said.
Bauer, former
head of the Family Research Council and founder of the
Campaign for Working Families, unsuccessfully sought the GOP
presidential nomination in 2000. He is a well-known
abortion opponent who said in a statement that McCain
''has dedicated his life to defending human rights
around the world, including the rights of the unborn.''
While he is
well-known, Bauer lacks the following of Focus on the Family
founder James Dobson, who declared on Super Tuesday he would
never vote for McCain and later endorsed Huckabee.
Huckabee, too, is
known for opposing abortion rights. (Libby Quaid, AP)
