SOUTHERN ARIZONA (SGT NEWS) - Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee enjoys the first victory on Super Tuesday for the Republicans as he takes all 18 delegates in the state of West Virginia, winning 52% of the vote, although rumors abound regarding the McCain campaign's possible instruction to their delegates to switch to his side.

Mitt Romney finished second with 47% of the vote, followed by McCain at 1%.

Rumors are circulating that the McCain campaign instructed their delegates to defect over to Mike Huckabee's side as to avoid a Romney victory. Nationally, McCain is significantly ahead of Huckabee and can afford giving the state's 18 delegates to Huckabee, but certainly not to Romney, who was originally in the lead when polling began in West Virginia by a wide margin and trails McCain nationally by only 17 delegates.

Originally, the state's delegate count was 464 in favor of Romney, 330 for Huckabee, 190 for McCain and 118 for Paul. After the switch, the delegate count swept in favor of Huckabee who now holds 567, ahead of Romney's 521 and McCain's 12.

In a Fox News report, the rumor appears to be confirmed. "But before Huckabee’s surprising turnaround in the second round, McCain delegates told FOX News they had been instructed by the campaign to throw their support to Huckabee."

"McCain delegate John Vuolo said former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer approached him and other McCain supporters at the convention and told them he had spoken to McCain, and that the best thing to do was to support Huckabee in the hope that Huckabee could beat Romney in this winner-take-all state."

Romney's campaign manager issued this statement: "Unfortunately, this is what Senator McCain’s inside Washington ways look like: he cut a backroom deal with the tax-and-spend candidate he thought could best stop Governor Romney’s campaign of conservative change."