Republicans often reward presidential candidates making second tries for the White House but some candidates--Rick Perry, Lamar Alexander--simply wear out their welcome. That seems to be the case with Mike Huckabee as the former Arkansas governor has proven a non-factor this time out.
Huckabee broke out from the back of the pack to end up as one of the leading candidates in the 2008 cycle, even beating Mitt Romney in the Iowa caucus and outlasting far more prominent candidates like Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson. Using folksy charm while offering a blend of economic populism and social conservatism, Huckabee connected with plenty of Republicans in rural America.
After his presidential bid, Huckabee moved to the Florida Panhandle and launched a national media career. He hosted a show on Fox News, published a few books and briefly had his own national radio talk show.
Huckabee entered the 2016 race a little later than some of his rivals and he has floundered badly in the race. Starting off in the main event with the other leading candidates, Huckabee started drifting off to the edge of the stage as his poll numbers dipped and eventually he moved to the junior varsity debate. In his two performances on the undercard, Huckabee did not make much of an impression. After doing well in the debates in 2008, Huckabee hasn’t done well this time out and his attempts at folksy humor are falling far flatter than they did eight years ago.
The former Arkansas governor has been eclipsed by other candidates. Donald Trump has lapped Huckabee on the populist front while social and religious conservatives broke to Ted Cruz and Ben Carson.
While he might have won Iowa over Romney, polls are showing he isn’t much of a factor this time out. Last week, Quinnipiac released a poll showing Huckabee with 3 percent, tying him for sixth place and far behind the leading candidates. Public Policy Polling (PPP) also released a poll which had Huckabee once again tied for sixth place. Nor does Huckabee do better in other states and moving to Florida did not help boost his standing in the Sunshine State.
There is at least some silver lining for Huckabee. The PPP poll shows 61 percent of Iowa Republicans see Huckabee favorably and only 22 percent view him in an unfavorable light. Only Cruz does better on that front.
Huckabee retains a sizeable following in the Republican ranks and he’ll remain a popular figure on the state party fundraising circuit and probably reclaim some kind of media perch. But he is not a top choice or even the fallback option for most Republican voters, even those who backed him before.
Asked about the future of his campaign, Huckabee has said he will drop out if he doesn’t place in the top three in Iowa. That looks very unlikely to happen. Iowa, where Huckabee scored his biggest win last time out, will likely end his presidential ambitions though he’s well poised for other roles on the national stage.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
