Houston, TX-

Despite being down significantly in recent polls, GOP presidential aspirant Mike Huckabee is barn-storming Texas and like legendary Alamo leader William Barret Travis - who’s famous “never surrender” pledge he has quoted at every campaign stop here- Huckabee has pitched his defiant stake in the Lone Star soil, for better, or for worse. With only a couple days left before the election on Tuesday, Huckabee’s last stand is here, and now.

 In the past week, Huckabee has seen large , enthusiatic crowds regularly at his campaign events despite dismal chances of snatching the Republican nomination away from John McCain. Huckabee has consistently said that if he wins Texas then that would essentially impede McCain’s certain march to Minneapolis, and create a convention battle scenario in September among the  Grand Ol’ Party.

So like an angry cat backed into a corner, or those Alamo defenders that he incessantly discusses Huckabee is readying himself for one last fight. And one way to show sharp contrasts with McCain is to highlight their differences on border security, say Huckabee campaign staffers, a top issue here among Republicans in the reddest of states.

In Laredo today, Huckabee inspected  the U.S.-Mexican border with border patrol agents, and a posse of supporters including Rep. Duncan Hunter(R-CA), actor Chuck Norris, and Minute Man founder Jim Gilchrist.

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Huckabee has been a staunch supporter of erecting a wall on the border, and other stringent border security initiatives. While McCain does not support equal measures, Huckabee refused to directly hit McCain, even when asked if  his opponent was “soft” on the issue. However,Huckabee did take a shot at those who supported “amnesty” for illegal aliens,a reference to the senator from Arizona’s failed immigration bill.

“I’m not going to characterize his position because I think that’s not really a healthy thing for me to get into. I still had rather have Senator McCain than I had Senator Obama or Senator Clinton as president,” Huckabee said, standing a hundred yards from Mexico.”If people are looking for someone who believes that this a serious issue that needs to be addressed with a greater level of resources and it can’t be overlooked and I don’t think amnesty is an answer and i think that’s, again,the wrong path for us to go and I do think strong border security is an urgent matter for the United States.  

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Tom Tancredo withdrew from the presidential race today and endorsed Governor Mitt Romney.  Around 10 am eastern at the Marriott in Des Moines, Romney met with Tancredo for about 30 minutes. The Tancredo campaign asked Romney for the meeting, but the Colorado congressman had not made up his mind whom to endorse before the meeting.

Romney released a statement after Tancredo’s endorsement:

“Congressman Tancredo ran a spirited campaign focused on issues that are important to many Americans. I thank him for his support. While we don’t agree on every issue, we agree on the need to keep America strong. I look forward to working with him and other Republicans to achieve that end.”

Tancredo campaigned on the issue of illegal immigration and he refused to participate in the recent Univision debate saying  his republican rivals were “pandering.”

Tancredo ran political ads linking illegal immigration to terrorist attacks, gang warfare, and even rape.