Gallup: Mike Huckabee leads Biggest Array of Categories in latest Presidential Trial Heat

Republican voters will be looking to elect a candidate who can win across a broad spectrum of categories. Mike Huckabee is that candidate as he leads amongst Men, Women, Conservatives, Middle Income, Non-College Educated, Youth, Middle Age, Midwest, and the South.

Gallup: 2012 GOP Presidential Trial Heat

Results are based on telephone interviews conducted as part of Gallup Daily tracking April 15-20, March 18-22, and Feb. 18-20, 2011, with a random sample of at least 1,000 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, at each of these time periods.

For results based on the total aggregate sample of 3,304 Republicans, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±2 percentage points.

Tim Pawlenty beams "I Love the Huck"

Mike Huckabee was not at the first Republican debate in South Carolina because he has not made a final decision on a run. Newt Gingrich who announced he was testing the waters declined the debate invitation even though word has it that he will announce next week. Mitt Romney has formed an exploratory committee but was not ready to take the debate stage. That left former governor Tim Pawlenty with the opportunity to light up the stage. And he did by stating "I Love the Huck!"

Mike Huckabee sits down with Bill Hemmer and talks about the debate, Afghanistan, Ronald Reagan, and a possible run for the Republican nomination.

Mike Huckabee Continues to Lead CNN Republican Survey

Mike Huckabee continues to lead the CNN Republican Nomination Survey. As CNN indicated in their write up, the eventual GOP winner was leading the polls taken in April of the previous year. For the third month in a row, Mike Huckabee has led the CNN polling no matter which other potential candidates are added into the mix.

CNN/Opinion Research 2012 Republican Nomination Survey

Mike Huckabee 16%

Donald Trump 14%

Mitt Romney 13%

Sarah Palin 11%

Newt Gingrich 10%

Ron Paul 10%

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted April 29-May 1, with 1,034 adult Americans questioned by telephone. All interviews were completed before the president announced that bin Laden, the founder and leader of the al Qaeda terrorist network and the man responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

CNN Nuggets:

GOP primary match-ups are another matter – since the modern era of presidential primaries began in 1972, there have been six times when the GOP nomination was up for grabs. In five of those six election cycles, the eventual GOP winner was leading the polls taken in April of the previous year.

This indicator is another good reason for Mike Huckabee to jump into the race this summer.  

Mike Huckabee Ramping Up for a Run (Updated)

Supporters of Mike Huckabee will be happy to learn that after Memorial Day their choice for the Republican nomination may be throwing his hat into the ring. A detailed report out today by Erin McPike of Real Clear Politics states that Fox News has given Mike Huckabee until the end of May to make his decision. This coincides with Huckabee's contract which is up for renewal in June.

Yesterday Huckabee was inside the Beltway raising funds for republicans as well as his own PAC. According to the Wall St Journal, supporters who donated $1000 were given the opportunity to ask Huckabee exclusive questions about his intentions for the nomination.

Ed Rollins recently stated that Huckabee would need to make a decision by June 1st. In McPike's article, we learn:

Edward J. Rollins, who joined Huckabee's team as national chairman in mid-December of 2007 -- just weeks before Huckabee solidly won the 2008 Iowa caucuses -- has been charged with setting up shop.

According to a confidant of Rollins who has been slated for a high-level position in the potential campaign, "Ed has had long and serious discussions with Mike as recently as this past weekend." Rollins would manage the first phase of the Huckabee campaign this time.

On a national level, Rollins has gotten verbal agreements from experienced Republican operatives who would join the team. A political director, fundraising team, media team, communications director, press staff, policy shop and opposition research outfit are locked and loaded. Serious discussions with a respected national pollster are ongoing, and several national Republican operatives have told RealClearPolitics that they've gotten calls with the message: "This thing is happening. Do you want to be a part of it?"

The gathering national team has a different take, though. Rollins has worked on nine presidential campaigns and has developed many contacts over that time, and he has recruited a team over the last four months that will be ready to roll if Huckabee pulls the trigger.

As a consequence of that more professional, experienced team, some of the players who surrounded Huckabee last time aren't necessarily needed anymore. In other words, Huckabee was an upstart last time and couldn't attract top-tier talent, and he didn't even have some of the most significant leaders of the religious right on board when he started in 2007.

More than 40,000 Iowans picked him in the 2008 caucuses, and those in Huckabee's inner circle expect that his daughter, Sarah Huckabee, will run the operation for her father in the Hawkeye State this time, coming off of her successful role in managing Arkansas Republican Sen. John Boozman's 2010 race.

Now, he may have to offer his decision by the end of the month. Republican operatives familiar with the deliberations at Fox News say that the network has told Huckabee he has until the end of the month to make up his mind about the race or he'll be cut off, just as Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum were when the then-contributors were still in the consideration phase.

Noting Barbour's decision not to run, Beasley said, "I think the landscape is conducive for a Mike Huckabee entrance. Right now, we're putting together the team and putting the word out that Mike Huckabee is seriously considering this race."

He added that with Huckabee's current national notoriety, "this time around it's a whole different ballgame. He's in a good position at this stage of the process.

Mike Huckabee has consistently said that if and when he decides to run, it will be his race, his pace. Looks like Huckabee is ready to get into the starting block. His supporters are not only ready in the stands to cheer him on, but are anxiously awaiting the sound of the starting gun, so that they themselves can work to get him the nomination.

* Update:  Since this posted earlier this morning, Mike Huckabee has issued a statement via Huck PAC:

During a Huck PAC fundraiser yesterday in the DC area - Gov. Huckabee was asked about a Presidential run and he told the group privately the same thing he's said countless times publicly. The Governor's comment was tweeted by a Congressman who was in the meeting: 'people that say they definitely know I'm not running, don't know - those that say they definitely know I am, don't know - I don't know.' What does it say about the news when a Congressman can report real quotes that actually came from Governor Huckabee - while journalists use other sources and unsubstantiated rumor?

The Governor has been clear - his timeline for a decision is this summer and that has not changed. Fox is aware of the Governor's timetable and he is aware of his limitations in considering another run.

** Additional information regarding Fox News deadline:

Fox News denied that it has given former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) a deadline of the end of May to decide whether to run for president.

A senior Fox official disputed a report Thursday by Real Clear Politics that Huckabee has been given a deadline of the end of May to decide whether to enter the race for the Republican presidential nomination, which would prompt him to forfeit his lucrative contract with the network.

"There is no truth whatsoever to this report," said Bill Shine, the executive vice president of programming for Fox. 

Mike Huckabee: Postmarked Pakistan

In an interview with CNN's Suzanne Malveaux back in 2007 Mike Huckabee stated that all indications were that Osama bin laden was in Pakistan and that if we had another terrorist attack it would be postmarked Pakistan. He went on to describe American tax dollars being wasted by a government that was not producing results. Huckabee said we needed to be very clear in holding that government accountable for not only the way they treat their people but also in helping us locate and destroy Osama bin Laden.

Politico reports that in November 2007 Mike Huckabee also stated:

"We need to make sure we are clear that if we have an actionable target in Pakistan, that we will take action on that target because if that helps save and preserve American people," Huckabee said at the time, according to CNN, saying he would respond that way if he saw an "imminent threat" within Pakistan's borders. "That's the foremost thing we need to be worried about."

Sen. John McCain criticized Huckabee at the time for it, calling it evidence of political naivete and saying, "I certainly wouldn't telegraph my punches."

In December 2007, Mike Huckabee went on Meet the Press with Tim Russert.  One important issue they discussed was Pakistan:

"One of the things I want to point out about that article, I spoke about Pakistan extensively back in September, and a lot of people criticized the article, saying `You talk so much about Pakistan, and you didn't speak as much about Iran.' You know, a lot of people have criticized my foreign policy views, but the fact is, in light of what's happened in the last week, some of my comments on Pakistan seem almost prophetic."

Mike Huckabee: That South Carolina Report is an Absolute Lie

Are potential opponents of Mike Huckabee trying to push him into the race? Are they afraid of the platform that he has hosting his own radio/cable program? Are they worried about how Huckabee is able to showcase his policy ideas each week contrasting it with President Obama's own failed policies? Do they not like that Mike Huckabee has access to media where he can shoot down the lies being told about him and get out the truth?

It is rather interesting that bloggers and DC insiders want Mike Huckabee to officially declare his intentions on whether or not he will run in 2012. Lest they forget Mike Huckabee has already done that, he clearly stated that it would be his race his pace, that he would miss the first set of debates, that he would prayfully consider a run, and that he would declare his intentions in the summer. Yet they keep pushing for an answer and this week we saw operatives pushing false information. Wesley Donohue, a former worker for Mitt Romney's 2008 campaign was the one who jumped the shark. Starting a story stating that anyomous players told him that Mike Huckabee released his 2008 South Carolina supporters to go work for other campaigns. Donohue-who now works for Gingrich-stands by his story while not releasing any names of those so called informants. Erick Erickson of Redstate was one of the first to actively promote this on twitter.  Matt Drudge-a supporter of Romney's in 2008, linked to the story by selectively placing "Huckabee Out of Race?" right next to the royal wedding pictures of Kate Middleton in her beautiful dress. Perhaps Drudge is worried that Mike Huckabee will be the next one to sit on the Republican throne. To shed light on the whole bizarre story, Mike Huckabee cuts to the chase on the Willis Report and tells the viewers that the story is a flat out lie.

There you have it, Mike Huckabee again says he is still considering a run and will announce his intentions this summer.

Huckabee supporter, GrannyT researched this week's "Huckabee is out activity" and reported as follows: 

Examining the “Huckabee Isn’t Running” Rumors

There have been rumors that Gov. Mike Huckabee won’t be running for President in the 2012 election cycle. I’m writing this to examine a few of those rumors.

Rumor #1: Huckabee has decided not to run and has released his South Carolina Team.
That rumor was squashed almost as soon as the so called story was “leaked”. Many reputable sites had updates on their stories immediately after posting them. One of Huckabee’s key supporters and part of the 2008 Huckabee Team in South Carolina posted the debunking of that rumor on Facebook.
An article posted yesterday evening has a few more quotes from South Carolina former Governor Beasley, Mike Huckabee 2012 Run Looking More Likely, Key Supporter Says
Rumor #2: Huckabee can’t raise money and can’t run a campaign without it.
Huckabee has voiced his concerns for fundraising; so we know that can be a real issue. It has been reported that he has talked to possible financial backers.

Huckabee recently presided over a series of meetings with financial backers in New York — where he hosts his popular television show on Fox News — in an attempt to ascertain whether he could generate the resources he would need to persuade him to set aside his comfortable private life in order to spend more than a year on the campaign grind.
According to aides, the takeaway was positive.

I know many of us not so wealthy supporters have been saving in hopes of him running again. So, if Huckabee is getting any kind of interest from some of the more wealthy donors he won’t have near the lack of money he did in 2008. Also, Huckabee still has an army of volunteer grassroots supporters as well as Team Huck that is getting set up across the country. How much money are all of us volunteers worth?
Rumor #3: Huckabee is making good money and building a mansion he won’t want to walk away from.
Even Huckabee admits that his good paying jobs and mansion will have to be part of his decision. But, those of us that know and love Gov. Huckabee know he’s been through that decision before and didn’t let money and a nice house stop him.
From page 5 of Huckabee’s book, From Hope to Higher Ground: My Vision for Restoring America’s Greatness:

By now, Janet and I had achieved a level of comfort neither of us had ever dreamed. We were both thirty-six years old, had three children, a good dog, and lived in a nice five-bedroom home with a pool on a cul-de-sac.
I vividly remember the long walk in the neighborhood we took one winter night. We decided that if we indeed were put on earth to become “comfortable,” then we had hit the target. Ours was an enviable life in many ways, but as we walked and talked and prayed, we decided that the purpose for being on earth is not our personal comfort but to strive to make the world better for our children than when we found it.

I know that book was written a while ago before he started the project of building a new home. So, I’ll include a quote from an article posted this week by KATV in Arkansas, On the Road with Huckabee:

But, it’s Huckabee’s prolonged decision that could be making his biggest employer a little anxious. A report this week claims Fox executives are questioning whether they should have Huckabee on the payroll, while his platform is being used to help his Presidential aspirations. Huckabee was quoted in the report that Fox is not pressuring him to make a decision. His comments to us, suggest if things line up the way he wants, he’s in.
“If I thought I could serve my country, and make this country great again, and help get it back on track by giving it leadership, yeah, I’d do it in a heart beat. I just have to be able to visualize a path to the finish line, and believe that I can do more than the platform that i do have, and it’s a significant one, and i’m not oblivious to that.”

Rumor #4: Huckabee needs to jump in now or it will be too late and his supporters will go elsewhere.
There aren’t many Huckabee supporters that are shopping around for other candidates. Huckabee is still polling very well in polls even with the numerous rumors that he won’t be running again flying around. Many of us are volunteering and working on our own as well as with other volunteers doing whatever we can to prepare to make a Huckabee campaign launch successful if he decides to run again. Huckabee does not have the name recognition problem or the unelectable label he had in the 2008 season. He has repeatedly said he’ll make his decision this summer. In the last video I saw where he discussed when this summer – he said, “Probably June.” Rumor is that is when his FOXNEWS contract is up. Maybe he wants to use the remaining time to think as well as to fulfill his contract commitment.
Here are a few quotes from Huckabee ‘asking folks to keep their powder dry,’ adviser says:

Mike Campbell, who chaired Huckabee’s South Carolina campaign in 2008, told CNN that he called his former boss after a South Carolina blog erroneously claimed that Huckabee had decided against running again in 2012.
The report quickly shot around the web Wednesday and forced Huckabee’s team to knock down the rumor.
Campbell called the blog item “a bunch of bull” but said he decided to call Huckabee anyway.
[clip]
Asked about his presidential intentions, the former Arkansas governor told Campbell, “I am weighing it very heavily and I am considering it as seriously as I have ever been.”
[clip]
Campbell said Huckabee can afford to wait longer than other candidates to enter the race because he has an existing network of supporters in key states ready to help him again, putting him in a “great position” to win the nomination.

Huckabee has said that the last election cycle was too long and people were getting bored with it before it was over. What is wrong with getting things started a little later than last time and being more in tune with previous elections? Do people forget that Ronald Reagan kept his media jobs and didn’t announce until November?
June is NOT too late for Huckabee!
Rumor #5: Huckabee isn’t running he’s just leading people on to sell books and keep viewers.
Quote from On the Road with Huckabee:

“It’s not a decision i’m ready to make yet. I’m getting closer and closer. I’m not playing a game with anyone. I think some people think, oh, he knows what he’s going to do, he’s just playing. I’m very mindful of what it takes to run for president,” Huckabee said.

I’ve read and heard from numerous places that it’s starting to look and sound more like Huckabee is “leaning towards” running again. An article posted on the Washington Examiner last night says:

These days, among the people who have known and worked with Huckabee, there is a growing sense that he’s leaning toward another run for the White House.

Update: I just found another article that was posted today that goes along with this blog article. Check out Huckabee Seems Likely To Run

Mr. Huckabee is the de facto front-runner for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. More precisely, he is the only candidate in the race (so far) who commands the support of the party's social conservative base and its most important region (the South).  So what he does or does not do will have a big impact on what happens after he makes known his decision.

Mike Huckabee on the Tragic Tornado Destruction

As Governor of Arkansas for 10 1/2 years, Mike Huckabee directed emergency response teams after storms such as the devastating ones we had this week. Huckabee offers his prayers to those families affected by the storms destruction while also showing optimism for responding to the aftermath.

Mike Huckabee posted these comments on his facebook:

Our hearts and prayers are with the people affected by the tornadoes
by Mike Huckabee on Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 2:00pm

Yesterday, the South and much of the country was again slammed by savage storms. The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center reported receiving 137 tornado reports on Wednesday night alone; and all of this comes right on the heels of the devastating storms from earlier in the week.

It is often in our darkest days that we see how brightly we can shine; as communities come together in the wake of tragedy. Our hearts and prayers go out to all those who have been affected by these storms in recent days.