We … knew this already, yes? After 16 months of campaign coverage, I can’t tell new news anymore from old news that’s been recycled and presented as new news. But I’m reasonably sure this qualifies for category two.

More news breaking at this hour: It seems Mike “Christian Leader” Huckabee’s supporters are the most adamantly anti-Mitt.

[Evangelical leaders] say Mr. Romney lacks trust on issues such as outlawing abortion and opposing same-sex marriage and because he is a Mormon. Opposition is particularly powerful among those who supported former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in the Republican presidential primaries earlier this year…

Other well-placed Christian conservatives say that although many evangelical leaders could accept and work for a McCain-Romney ticket, Mr. Huckabee’s supporters tend to be “rabid” in their views against Mr. Romney because of his faith: They do not regard Mormonism as a Christian denomination…

In conversations with The Times, several Republican officials close to the McCain campaign also played down anti-Romney sentiment among conservative evangelicals. They cited an online poll of evangelicals by 2000 presidential primary candidate Gary Bauer that found Mr. Romney is the top vice-presidential choice of born-again Christians…

An evangelical leader who, though he has close ties to Mr. McCain, confided to The Times that polling suggests that putting Mr. Romney on the ticket likely would cost Mr. McCain 7 percent to 10 percent of the evangelical vote – enough to spell defeat for Mr. McCain in a close race with Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Seven to 10 percent isn’t something McCain can afford to be cavalier about, needless to say, even with most prominent Christian leaders already on board. This makes twice that Huck and his fans have managed to thwart Romney’s ambitions; can’t wait for 2012.

If you’re wondering whether Pawlenty earns the all-important Good Evangelical Seal of Approval, no worries: He’s golden, and not just on abortion either.