Mike Huckabee

(CC) Photo: Marc Nozell
Mike Huckabee in Windham, NH

Mike Huckabee (born Michael Dale Huckabee, 24 August 1955), an American politician and former Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007, was a contender for the Republican Party nomination in the 2008 presidential election. Little known nationally through mid 2007, he climbed the polls steadily and won the closely watched Iowa caucus on Jan. 3, 2008. His political base is comprised of evangelical Christians. He had been attacked as a tax-and-spend liberal, especially by rival Fred Thompson..His funding base is meager, but national polls put him in first or second place, with John McCain, his main rival. Analysts point to his evangelical base, his conservatism, his appeal to southerners and his winsome personality as critical factors in his move from obscurity to the top rank of political contenders.

Huckabee is the author of health books featuring his exercise and weight-loss exercise program, and bass guitar player for his rock band, Capitol Offense. Before he entered politics he was formerly a minister in Southern Baptist churches in Arkansas. He is currently hosting his own talk show on Fox News.

Early Career

Huckabee was born and raised in Hope, Arkansas into a working class family. He did not overlap with Bill Clinton (1946- ) who was also born in Hope but left as a small child. Huckabee in his early teens became a radio announcer and preacher. He attended nearby Oachita Baptist College (BA 1975), and studied theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas (1976-80, no degree.) He was minister at Baptist churches in Pine Bluff and Texarkana, Arkansas in the 1980s, gaining fame for his preaching style and for his religious shows on television. He was elected in 1989 as president of the Arkansas Baptist Convention, with 490,000 members; he was elected as a moderate in opposition to the hardline conservatives.

Family

Huckabee is married to Janet (née McCain) and has three children.

Campaign 2008

Huckabee

this is a duplicate from 2008 United States presidential election

Mike Huckabee, little known nationally through mid 2007, climbed the polls steadily and won the closely watched Iowa caucus on Jan. 3, 2008. His political base comprises evangelical Christians, who comprise 35% of the GOP voters nationwide. He has been attacked as a tax-and-spend liberal, especially by rival Fred Thompson..His funding base is meager, but national polls put him in first or second place, with John McCain, his main rival. Analysts point to his evangelical base, his conservatism, his appeal to southerners and his winsome personality as critical factors in his move from obscurity to the top rank of political contenders.

Huckabee perfected the shoestring operation. He raised only $2.3 million by Oct. 2007, less than 5% of the money of each main rival. He never had enough money to send advance teams to organize events or drum up crowds, nor could he afford fund-raising operations, private polls, big-name political consultants, or a staff of policy advisers and media experts. He relied on volunteers from churches and the home-school movement to schedule his events. The retail politics of the first states did not cost much. He won in Iowa by relying on his quick wit, fluent oratory, and in lieu of commercials, as many TV and radio talk-show appearances as he could schedule. To draw crowds his rallies featured actor Chuck Norris and his own playing the bass guitar with local rock bands. As the election calendar turned to larger states he lacked the cash to compete, so in late Jan. 2008 he cut back on Florida operations to concentrate on a few smaller, overlooked southern states on Feb. 5.

Bibliography

• Barone, Michael, and Richard E, Cohen. Almanac of American Politics: 2006 (2005)