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Mike Huckabee: Early Frontrunner for the Republican Nomination?
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The start of the 2012 Presidential Race is about a year off (seriously), but former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (who also hosts the aptly named 'Huckabee' on Fox News) is already receiving some good buzz. After winning the Iowa Caucuses, he immediately became a national figure, although he was eventually defeated by John McCain for the nomination (which may have been the best thing for Huckabee's political career, in a disastrous year for Republicans).
He took some unusual positions for a conservative, such as touting art and music classes in his education policy and having a moderate stance on immigration reform. He also had to defend himself for raising taxes when he was Governor of Arkansas, a story which may come back to haunt him with tax increases generally being anathema to Republican voters.
It is unclear whether he would retain his quixotic positions if he runs again in 2012, but it would be a little surprising if he didn't adjust them a bit if he becomes the frontrunner (remember John McCain saying that he wouldn't support his own immigration proposal at a 2008 Republican debate?).
Considering the massive populist surge that has taken place since the Wall Street meltdown in September 2008, Huckabee is probably better positioned than former venture capitalist Mitt Romney, and possibly better than anyone else in the field. Huckabee once famously said he was the kind of guy "you like" while Romney was the guy who would "lay you off."
Huckabee stuck around the 2008 race longer than many in the party desired, but that didn't seem to bother him one bit. Roger Simon, of POLITICO, wrote this about Huckabee's potential 2012 aspirations on March 4, 2008:
Huckabee knows that none of this will convince the party establishment of his value, but that does not bother him. Again, he goes back to Ronald Reagan to explain why.
“Ronald Reagan was not the guy the Republican establishment wanted,” Huckabee said. “They had the same kind of dismissive attitude towards him: He couldn’t win, he had no experience, and they said he should disappear. What they didn’t understand is that people liked him.”
Huckabee went on: “People forget what a pariah Ronald Reagan was. Now he is the gold standard of the party. But in 1976, people were so angry not only that he was running for the nomination but that he was challenging a sitting president.”
A good point. So if McCain wins the presidency this time, would Huckabee consider challenging him in 2012?
“I am not thinking about that,” Huckabee said. “Today.”
If Huckabee becomes perceived as the primary anti-establishment candidate, that could benefit him greatly in 2012. Republican voters in early primaries and caucuses, who tend to be quite conservative, might believe that the Republicans lost because John McCain was too moderate and too much of an insider. With his strong 2008 showing under his belt (and platform on Fox News), Huckabee is in a prime position to claim the conservative mantle, which could propel him to raise a lot of money and build strength in the polls through 2011.
Finally, he would have a good claim to the nomination due to placing 2nd in the 2008 contest, especially since the eventual nominee was trounced after a campaign that often difficulty wooing the party's base.
Actually, there is an even better reason that he is likely the frontrunner - he was endorsed by Chuck Norris:
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