by Rachel Abell

AUSTIN -- Texas Governor Rick Perry is publicly asking presidential candidate Mike Huckabee to end his presidential campaign for the sake of the Republican Party.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) recently picked up 20 more delegates from party members in Puerto Rico this weekend.  He now has a total of 996 delegates while Huckabee has a total of 254.

McCain's win in Puerto Rico follows victories in the American Somoa and the Northern Mariana Islands earlier in the weekend, each adding nine delegates to the candidate's total.

Perry believes McCain has secured the nomination of the party.  "It's over for the Republican nomination." he told a Washington D.C. station.  "I respect Mike, but it is time for us as a party to get behind Senator McCain," he said, in regards to McCain's overwhelming delegate lead.

McCain now needs only 195 more delegates to win the nomination because a total of 1,191 delegates are needed to win the party's nomination.