By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, February 9, 2008

WICHITA, Feb. 8 -- With his top rival out of the race, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) sought to rally conservatives to his candidacy Friday on a cross-country campaign trip that included stops in Virginia, Kansas and Washington state.

A day after former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney abandoned his bid for the GOP nomination, McCain told a crowd in Wichita that while "primaries are tough . . . we also understand once the dust settles, we come together, because we all know what will happen to America if the wrong party wins in November."

Promising that he would engage in "a spirited debate" with whomever the Democrats nominate, the senator promised to adhere to his party's values. "I am proud to carry the banner of a conservative Republican, with a record of conservative voting," he said.

McCain also said that he plans to meet with Romney, whom he fought openly with during the campaign, so they can work on "uniting the party and move on to victory in November."

While the senator tried to appeal to conservatives on the stump, his top advisers were trying to set up meetings with some of the nation's more influential evangelical ministers, including Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose Driven Life," and Joel Osteen, to find common ground. The effort has been spearheaded by Sen. Sam Brownback (Kan.), who endorsed McCain after dropping his own presidential bid in November.

When asked about that effort, McCain said, "I'll be glad and willing to meet with anyone who wants to meet with me." He added that there is no formalized strategy to reach out to religious leaders.

McCain has diverged from conservatives on several issues, including campaign finance legislation, immigration policy and President Bush's tax cuts. McCain has consistently voted against abortion but has argued against a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the grounds that it is a state issue.

"Those are the portal issues -- you've got to be right on life and marriage," Brownback said. "This is a very raw and open wound, and everything's not resolved yet."

Brownback tried to help start healing the wound Friday before a couple of hundred fellow Kansans in an airport hangar in Wichita, rattling off a list of McCain's conservative bona fides.

"He's got a 24-year pro-life record. He was voting pro-life before it was cool, and I admire that," Brownback said, adding that not only does McCain support gun rights but "by my count he's shot more guns than anyone else in the field. Bigger ones too, probably."

Brownback ended his speech by warning the crowd that if conservatives sit out the election, they risk losing their advantage on the Supreme Court. "There are six good reasons to vote for John McCain," he said. "They all sit on the Supreme Court and they're all over 70 years of age."

The GOP front-runner reciprocated the goodwill, practically promising Brownback a high-ranking position in his administration after he leaves the Senate because of a self-imposed term limit. "I'll be proud to have him by my side in any capacity as president of the United States of America," McCain said.

McCain also received the endorsement of former senator Fred D. Thompson of Tennessee, another onetime rival for the Republican nomination, who called on the party to "close ranks" behind the presumed nominee. "This is no longer about past preferences or differences. It is about what is best for our country and for me that means that Republicans should close ranks behind John McCain," Thompson said in a statement reported Friday by the Associated Press.

As they courted conservatives, McCain and his aides emphasized that they must still defeat former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee before clinching the Republican nomination. The candidates will face off in primary contests on Saturday in Louisiana, Kansas and Washington state.

In Norfolk, McCain told reporters that Huckabee "is a viable candidate, and I'm sure he will continue to show strength and that's why we're moving forward with our campaign." To dismiss Huckabee's candidacy, the senator added, "would be inappropriate and unrealistic."

Whether Huckabee can rally conservatives to his side and mount a strong challenge to McCain will likely become clear over the next several days, when Republicans hold contests in Kansas and Virginia, states with large numbers of evangelicals.

Kansas "is well positioned for Mike Huckabee," Brownback said. "It's a very tough dynamic for John McCain going into Kansas."

Huckabee campaigned across Kansas on Friday, making stops in Kansas City, Wichita, Topeka and elsewhere. He also received a boost late Thursday, when he picked up the endorsement of evangelical leader James Dobson, who has said he will not back McCain because of concerns about his conservative credentials.

McCain campaign aides said they would continue to collect endorsements and try to reach across the ideological spectrum.

"We want all Republican voters to be part of the McCain coalition," said campaign manager Rick Davis, adding that McCain is still a few hundred votes shy of the 1,191 delegates he needs to secure the nomination. "You don't want to take anything for granted. Until he gets to that major number of 1,200, he's not the presumptive nominee of the party."

At the same time, McCain sounded a bit like the presumptive nominee while talking with reporters after a national security roundtable at the Nauticus maritime museum in Norfolk. McCain said he is not ready to pick a running mate, but he outlined the qualities he would look for in one. "The fundamental principle behind any selection of a running mate will be whether that person is fully prepared to take over, and shares your values, your principles, your philosophy and your priorities," he said.