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Huckabee gets key Florida endorsementTuesday, November 27, 2007ORLANDO — GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee picked up an endorsement from one of Florida's most influential conservative politicians this evening in advance of Wednesday night's Republican debate in St. Petersburg.State Senate Majority Leader Daniel Webster, who last week hinted he would support Huckabee, this evening publicly endorsed the former Arkansas governor prior to a fund-raiser in downtown Orlando attended by about 50 potential donors."The governor's proved himself to be a leader. Not just someone who sat there and pushed against what was happening but yet became the leader of a state that had a lot of problems. And he did it within an environment that was somewhat hostile not only to his principles but also his party," said Webster, R-Winter Garden.After enumerating Huckabee's strong points, Webster offered another reason for his support: "He doesn't live in Washington."Huckabee welcomed the endorsement and praised Webster, a former state House speaker who has become a nationally respected conservative politician during his 28 years in the legislature.Recent polls indicate that Huckabee's popularity is climbing among Republican voters in the crowded field led by frontrunners Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney.Huckabee had a simple explanation for the turnaround, with the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries just weeks away: "People started paying attention."Although his fundraising has been eclipsed by that of Romney and Giuliani, Huckabee said that does not concern him because of the effect of the blogosphere on political campaigns."Thanks to the Internet, you can raise enough money you need for the entire campaign in one night," he said.