Huckabee remains unproven outside evangelical circles

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Source: Associated Press

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. -- This much is known: Mike Huckabee, a one-time Southern Baptist preacher, attracts fellow Christian evangelicals in droves.

Still a question is whether he can appeal to a broader scope of the GOP electorate and swing voters the Republican Party needs to beat Democrats in November.

The answer could come Tuesday when Michigan votes.

Demographically, the Midwestern state looks more like the country than Iowa and New Hampshire. Independents and Democrats also can vote in the Republican primary. That makes Michigan a test of whether Huckabee's populist pitch can pull in GOP moderates and others uneasy with his hard-right stances on cultural issues, outward emphasis on faith and mixed record on economic issues.

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