Huckabee wins Kansas Republican presidential race

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas (Reuters) - Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won the Kansas contest on Saturday to choose a Republican U.S. presidential candidate, chalking up another victory after a strong showing in the South earlier in the week, U.S. media projected.

The Baptist minister, whose shoestring campaign appeals to social conservatives, won four Southern states and West Virginia on Tuesday, when nearly half of U.S. states chose candidates for the November election.

Arizona Sen. John McCain leads the race for the Republican nomination and his ultimate victory is almost certain after his chief rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, dropped out on Thursday.

Huckabee is now his only major opponent and is running a distant second.