Mike Huckabee 2016 presidential campaign

The 2016 presidential campaign of Mike Huckabee, the 44th Governor of Arkansas, began on May 5, 2015, at an event in his hometown of Hope, Arkansas.[3] Huckabee's candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election was his second, after having previously run in 2008. Following a disappointing showing in the Iowa caucuses, Huckabee ended his run on February 1, 2016.[4]

Huckabee for President
CampaignU.S. presidential election, 2016
CandidateMike Huckabee
Governor of Arkansas (1996–2007)
AffiliationRepublican Party
StatusAnnounced: May 5, 2015
Suspended: February 1, 2016
HeadquartersP.O. Box 3357
Little Rock, Arkansas
ReceiptsUS$3,950,145[1] (2015-12-31[2])
Slogan
Website
www.mikehuckabee.com
(archived - January 31, 2016)
Huckabee at an event in Ames, Iowa in January 2016

Background

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2008 presidential election

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Huckabee was a candidate for the Republican nomination for the presidency in 2008. In the number of states won and popular vote, Huckabee came in third behind former Massachusetts governor (and future 2012 nominee) Mitt Romney and eventual nominee Arizona senator John McCain. In terms of total delegate count, he came in second behind McCain.[5]

Post-2008 election

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Governor Huckabee speaking at the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland

Following his defeat in the 2008 election, Huckabee became the host of the eponymous show Huckabee on Fox News Channel (FNC).[6] In a November 19, 2008, article by the Associated Press, Huckabee addressed the possibility of running for president in 2012. He said, "I'm not ruling anything out for the future, but I'm not making any specific plans".[7] A June 2009 CNN/Opinion Research Corporation national poll showed Huckabee as the 2012 presidential co-favorite of the Republican electorate along with Palin and Romney.[8] An October 2009 poll of Republicans by Rasmussen Reports put Huckabee in the lead with 29%, followed by Romney on 24% and Palin on 18%.[9] On May 14, 2011, Huckabee announced on his FNC show that he would not be a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012. Despite his high national poll numbers and being seen by many as the front runner, Huckabee declined to run, saying, "All the factors say 'go', but my heart says 'no'."

Several political commentators speculated that Huckabee might be ready for another presidential run in 2016. He had been hindered by a lack of money in 2008 but with changes to federal election law allowing SuperPACs to pour large sums of money into a race he might be better positioned to stay in the race.[10] Huckabee has in addition earned personal wealth since 2008 on the lecture circuit and his TV and radio shows. He ended his daily radio show in December 2013 which strengthened speculations about a presidential bid.[11] Huckabee indicated in September 2014 that he would make the decision on whether to run early in 2015.[12] In January 2015, Huckabee ended his show on FNC to prepare for his possible run in the 2016 presidential election.[13]

Campaign

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Huckabee speaking at an event hosted by the Iowa Republican Party in October 2015.

On May 5, 2015, Huckabee officially declared his candidacy at a rally in his hometown of Hope, Arkansas.[14]

In September Ted Cruz visited Kentucky in support of the release of Kim Davis, but reportedly was blocked by an aide to Huckabee from appearing alongside her.[15]

On November 8, 2015, Huckabee participated at the National Religious Liberties Conference alongside Bobby Jindal and Ted Cruz, and said that "our religious liberties are under assault".[16] Conservative radio host Kevin Swanson, who hosted the conference, advocated for the execution of homosexuals in his speech.[17] Two other speakers at the conference, Reverend Phillip Kayser and Joel McDurmon, have also spoken of the death penalty for homosexual acts.[17]

In the 2016 Iowa Republican caucuses, Huckabee finished in ninth place with 3,345 votes, or 1.8% of the votes cast.[18] He subsequently withdrew from the campaign.[19]

Endorsements

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U.S. governors (current and former)
U.S. senators (current)
U.S. representatives
Statewide officials
State legislators
Republican National Committee members
Celebrities, commentators, and activists

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Committee/Candidate Details". Fec.gov. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  2. ^ "Candidate (P80003478) Summary Reports – 2016 Cycle". Federal Election Commission. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  3. ^ Barabak, Mark Z. (April 17, 2015). "Mike Huckabee edges toward 2016 run; May 5 announcement planned". Los Angeles Times.
  4. ^ Andrew Rafferty (February 1, 2016). "Mike Huckabee Suspends Presidential Campaign". NBC News. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  5. ^ "Results: Republican Delegate Count". New York Times. September 26, 2008. Archived from the original on September 16, 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2015.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ Cillizza, Chris (May 14, 2011). "Mike Huckabee won't run for president in 2012". Washington Post. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
  7. ^ Ohlemacher, Stephen (November 19, 2008). "Huckabee won't rule out 2012 run for President". Fox News. Associated Press.
  8. ^ "CNN Poll: No frontrunner in GOP 2012 presidential race". CNN. June 2, 2009. Archived from the original on June 5, 2009.
  9. ^ "GOP 2012: Huckabee 29% Romney 24% Palin 18%". Rasmussen Reports. October 16, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
  10. ^ Grier, Peter (2013-01-13). "Mike Huckabee 2016: New wildcard in the GOP race?". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2015-01-06.
  11. ^ Tumulty, Karen (December 13, 2013). "Mike Huckabee sounds a lot like he's running for president in 2016". The Washington Post.
  12. ^ Alexandra Jaffe (15 September 2014) Huckabee inching closer to 2016 run The Hill.
  13. ^ Stelter, Brian (2015-01-03). "Huckabee ends Fox News show to mull 2016". CNN.com. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
  14. ^ Gabriel, Trip (May 5, 2015). "Mike Huckabee Joins Republican Presidential Race". New York Times. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2015. After describing a childhood of school prayer, fishing trips and running for student council in Hope, Mr. Huckabee said, "So it seems perfectly fitting that it would be here that I announce I am a candidate for president of the United States."
  15. ^ "Following second GOP presidential debate - Where does Bobby Jindal's campaign go from here?". The Advocate. September 19, 2015.
  16. ^ "Jindal, Huckabee, Cruz rally religious voters in Des Moines". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  17. ^ a b ""Repent that Dumbledore emerged as a homosexual mentor for Harry Potter": Inside the bizarre anti-gay conference featuring Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee & Bobby Jindal". Salon. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  18. ^ "Iowa". cnn.com. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  19. ^ "No win in Iowa, Huckabee ends his White House bid". Des Moines Register. February 2, 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an Hohmann, James (September 28, 2015). "Huckabee building a Southern firewall". The Washington Post.
  21. ^ Bob Jordan, @bobjordanAPP (1 July 2015). "Birds of a feather? Chris Christie nabs endorsement from Maine Gov. Paul LePage". Asbury Park Press.
  22. ^ "Mike Huckabee Enters Presidential Race Wielding a Different Kind of 'Hope'". National Journal.
  23. ^ Jon Richards (August 8, 2015). "Gov. Huckabee Wins 8th District Straw Poll". Peach Pundit. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  24. ^ Giroux, Gregory (6 August 2015). "Huckabee Endorsed for President by South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds". Bloomberg.
  25. ^ "In anti-establishment year, endorsements a 'complicated science' | Arizona Capitol Times". 24 February 2016.
  26. ^ "Presidential race plays out in Congress: Which candidates do California's members support?". Los Angeles Times. November 30, 2015.
  27. ^ "Merrill Endorses Huckabee". Alabama Political Reporter. November 6, 2015. Archived from the original on November 9, 2015.
  28. ^ a b c "Gov. Huckabee announces Iowa & S.C. leadership teams". Huckabee for President. August 16, 2015. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016.
  29. ^ "'19 Kids and Counting's Jim Bob, Michelle Duggar Endorse Mike Huckabee for President: 'He Will Help Get Our Nation Back On Track'". Gospelherald.com. 2015-05-06. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  30. ^ "Huckabee announces Arkansas leadership team" (Press release). Democracy in Action.
  31. ^ "Mike Huckabee Names Additional South Carolina Grassroots Leaders to South Carolina Leadership Team". Blog.4president.org.
  32. ^ "Embarking on 2016 Run, Huckabee Looks to Texas Ties". The Texas Tribune. 6 May 2015.
  33. ^ "Here's where all the presidential candidates get their campaign money". Yahoo News. July 21, 2015.
  34. ^ "Celebrity endorsements for 2016". The Hill. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  35. ^ "2016 Celebrity endorsements". Businessinsider.com. 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2015-06-05.
  36. ^ "Here's what is driving Mike Huckabee to run for president again: Mike Huckabee in the news". Cleveland.com. 2016-01-25. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
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