
With buzz growing that he could run for governor of Florida in 2018, Mike Huckabee can at least count on the support of many Republicans across the Sunshine State.
After his bid for the Republican presidential nomination back in 2008, Huckabee, who served as governor of Arkansas from 1996 until 2007, moved to the Florida Panhandle. Getting involved in some Florida races, Huckabee decided to forego running again for president in 2012. Huckabee entered the 2016 presidential race but bowed out after taking 2 percent in Iowa, putting him in ninth place in a state he carried eight years before.
With speculation growing that he could run for governor of Florida, Huckabee does well with Republican voters in the Sunshine State according to a new poll from Democratic-aligned Public Policy Polling (PPP). The poll, which was released on Wednesday, shows 70 percent of Republicans in Florida see Huckabee in a favorable light while only 20 percent see him unfavorably.
Huckabee does far better with Republicans than other voters in Florida. Almost half of Florida Democrats--46 percent--see Huckabee unfavorably while 18 percent see him as favorable. Voters outside the major parties are more divided with 35 percent of them seeing Huckabee as favorable while 28 percent see him as unfavorable. Overall, Huckabee is seen as favorable by 40 percent of all voters while 30 percent of them see him in an unfavorable light.
Asked if Huckabee should run for governor in 2018, 42 percent of all voters say no while 32 percent say he should. But half of Florida Republicans--50 percent--say Huckabee should run while 24 percent of them say no. A majority of Florida Democrats--52 percent--think Huckabee should stay out of the race but 21 percent think he should run. Almost half of voters outside the major parties--47 percent--say Huckabee should stay out while almost a quarter of them--24 percent--think he should run.
The poll of 744 likely voters was taken between Sept. 4 through Sept. 6 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percent.