Huckabee: 'A new day in American politics'

DES MOINES -- Long-shot Republican candidate Mike Huckabee declared "a new day in American politics" Thursday after riding strong support from evangelical Christians into a decisive victory in the Iowa caucuses.

Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister and, like Bill Clinton, a native of Hope, Ark., managed to win despite trailing badly in national polls for most of the year. He out-hustled runner-up Mitt Romney and better-known candidates John McCain, Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani with a coalition of pastors, home schooling adherents, gun rights advocates and supporters of a new national tax system.

"This election is not about me. It's about we," the former Arkansas governor told supporters here. He said the victory would ignite "a prairie fire of new hope and zeal."

The victory makes Huckabee a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination. That was confirmed instantly Thursday night when the Democratic National Committee's website headlined, "Mike's Win Means More of the Same … Huckabee Promises Third Bush Term."

Now, he moves on to New Hampshire, where Romney and McCain are battling for the lead in the nation's first primary Tuesday. He was scheduled to appear there today with actor Chuck Norris and to play his bass with a local band, Mama Kicks.

Ed Rollins, Huckabee's national campaign chairman, said the dramatic win proves that "we have basically moved ourselves to the front of this campaign."

Romney congratulated Huckabee before a crowd of subdued supporters. "Well, we won the silver," said the former Winter Olympics CEO, but pledged "to come back and win the gold in the final."

His spokesman, Kevin Madden, credited Huckabee's victory to "core evangelical voters" but said Romney's second-place finish makes the former Massachusetts governor competitive in the weeks to come. "New Hampshire will essentially be a new race," Madden said.

Romney is a favorite in New Hampshire, which is his neighboring state. But he faces a major challenge there from McCain, the Arizona senator who has grabbed the lead in some recent Granite State polls.