Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee asked Wisconsin voters Thursday to prove national party leaders and political pundits wrong by helping him win the Wisconsin Republican presidential primary against long odds.

"Wouldn't it really mess them up if you went out and voted for me Tuesday?" Huckabee asked an enthusiastic crowd of about 500 supporters at the Concourse Hotel in Madison.

Huckabee, who has courted social conservatives throughout his candidacy, said the state's GOP voters are conservative enough to give him a victory here. He claimed support from truck drivers, homemakers and business owners rather than the Republican establishment.

He vowed to stay in the race until he or front-runner John McCain amasses the 1,191 delegates needed to capture the nomination.

"The conservatives want to be heard," said Huckabee. "We're not ready to say 'Game over.' "

His comments came before former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Thursday endorsed McCain and urged his 280 delegates to support the Arizona senator. McCain has 843 delegates to Huckabee's 242.

Huckabee said Romney joined the "me too crowd" in making the endorsement, but said it wouldn't affect his candidacy.

Huckabee's Madison stop was part of a three-day campaign swing through Wisconsin leading up to Tuesday's primary. Other stops on the swing included Pewaukee on Wednesday, Madison, La Crosse, Wausau and Green Bay on Thursday and Brookfield today.

McCain hasn't campaigned in Wisconsin, but has scheduled stops in Milwaukee, Oshkosh and La Crosse today.

Seeks endorsements

Earlier Thursday, Huckabee met with state Republican lawmakers and staff. He told reporters he asked for their votes and said he hopes to get some endorsements.

Huckabee, who joked Thursday that Madison was the "conservative bastion of Wisconsin," also spoke by phone with Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat who supports Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in that party's primary but is a friend of Huckabee's. Doyle's spokeswoman Jessica Erickson said the two reminisced about a recent trip they took to Iraq and Afghanistan.

A Baptist minister, Huckabee told the Madison crowd that he would support amending the Constitution to prohibit abortion in all cases except to save the life of the mother, touted his plan to eliminate all federal income and payroll taxes and pledged to end the country's dependence on foreign oil within 10 years.

And he said as a former governor he has more experience running government than the other candidates from both political parties.

He argued he is the best GOP candidate to win a general election matchup against Obama or Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York. That's because he has shown he can win states such as Arkansas, Tennessee, West Virginia and Georgia, which the Republican nominee will have to win, while McCain has taken such states as New York and California, which won't be competitive for the GOP, Huckabee said.

Brian Rogers, a McCain spokesman, said "Gov. Huckabee is free to stay in the race as long as he likes, but John McCain is going to be the nominee."

Wins support

During his address, Huckabee introduced Leon Gander, 14, a rural Mount Horeb student who has made about 1,000 phone calls on Huckabee's behalf. He urged others to follow Gander's example.

Gander said after the rally that he called voters in Wisconsin, Iowa and Florida and urged them to vote for Huckabee because of his pledge to lower taxes.

"I believe what he says," Gander said.

Kim Horton, 49, of Stoughton, said she was undecided before the rally about which candidate to support but that Huckabee won her vote.

"He was great," said Horton. "He's personable. He's realistic about the issues. He's got a good grasp of what the heartland of the country is looking for."

She said she liked the fact that Huckabee was standing up for conservative ideals and that he has inspired her to call friends and family on his behalf.

Gary Tresner, 56, of Cottage Grove, said he likes Huckabee's opposition to abortion and his support for tightened border security, and he thinks the long shot can win in Wisconsin.

"Once people start to know who he is, they'll like him and want to vote for him," Tresner said.

Huckabee even picked up the support of a Democrat, Tom McSweeney, 56, of Madison, who said he wanted to keep the Arkansas governor in the race as long as possible as a foil for McCain.

"We don't want Mr. McCain to have too easy a route to the nomination," McSweeney said. "Mike Huckabee will keep John McCain honest."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.