John McCain sweeps Potomac Primaries

John McCain beat rival Mike Huckabee in all three Republican primaries on Tuesday.  Here's the score:

Washington, D.C.: McCain 68%, Huckabee 17%, Other 16%

Virginia: McCain 50%, Huckabee 41%, Other 9%

Maryland: McCain 55%, Huckabee 29%, Other 16%

The Virginia contest was a bit of a nailbiter, because it was close at first and looked like underdog Huckabee could pull off a win. Huckabee won the southern part of the state, but McCain won the more populated Northern Virginia area and pulled ahead. 

Overall, the primary results are a bit embarrassing to McCain, because they show that a significant number of conservatives don't want him to be the Republican nominee.  His operatives are pressuring Huckabee to drop out of the race, so that Republicans can consolidate efforts behind one candidate and focus on battling the Dems.  And so Huckabee won't make McCain look like a fool in any more close calls.