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  Huckabee, Mike
CANDIDATE DETAILS
AffiliationRepublican  
<-  2015-01-01  
 
NameMike Huckabee
Address
Little Rock, Arkansas , United States
EmailNone
Website [Link]
DonateDonate
Born August 24, 1955 (68 years)
ContributorRalphie
Last ModifedRBH
Dec 24, 2020 12:53pm
Tags Caucasian - Married - Baptist - Christian - Protestant - Straight -
InfoMichael Dale Huckabee

Mike Huckabee is the former Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Arkansas, (1996-2007).

Governor of Arkansas Boys State in 1972.

He graduated magna cum laude from Ouachita Baptist University completing his 4 year degree in just over 2 years, and attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

Huckabee was pastor of Southern Baptist churches in Arkadelphia, Texarkana, and Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He was President of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention from 1989 to 1991, and also served as President of a religious-oriented television station.

In 1993 Huckabee was elected to the post of Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas. Huckabee, as the only Republican in statewide office, expanded the part-time position and actively used it as a platform to reach the public. Huckabee and Democratic leaders clashed over many issues. He was re-elected as Lieutenant Governor in 1994.

On 15 July 1996 he was sworn in as Governor of Arkansas to fill the vacancy created by Governor Jim Guy Tucker's resignation due to a felony conviction in the Whitewater scandal. This was a dramatic moment for Arkansas as Tucker at first resigned, and then rescinded his resignation as Huckabee was preparing to be sworn in. For a short while the event had the makings of a constitutional crisis not seen in Arkansas since the Brooks-Baxter War in the 19th century. Huckabee remained calm and won praise for his handling of the situation from both citizens and state leaders of both parties. Within a few hours Tucker reinstated his resignation and Huckabee was sworn in.

Soon after taking office, Huckabee signed legislation creating a health insurance program designed to provide insurance to children of families who could not qualify for Medicaid but could not afford private insurance. He signed legislation to cut taxes, and simplified the automobile registration procedure which had long been a source of complaint from the average citizen.

In November of 1998, Huckabee was elected to a full four-year term, receiving the highest percentage of votes for a Republican seeking statewide office in Arkansas history.

At the beginning of his first full term, Huckabee led a successful public relations campaign for a massive bond program to pay for major road reconstruction (Arkansas had, at that time, the lowest-rated highway system among the 50 states). This campaign drew praise because Arkansas voters had traditionally shied away from public debt, having experienced a major bond scandal that affected the state's finances for the latter half of the 19th century.

Huckabee, an avid outdoorsman, also led a successful campaign to dedicate via constitutional amendment 1/8 of one cent of the state sales tax to improvement of the state's park system and natural resources, which had fallen into serious disrepair (and was an embarrassment for a state billing itself as "The Natural State"). The improvements could not have come at a better time: the rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker in eastern Arkansas has led to increased tourist activity among bird watchers.

In 2000, Huckabee also led a widely praised campaign to convince the public to funnel 100 percent of the state's tobacco settlement revenues into the state's healthcare system, rather than into the general fund (as other states had done, where it could be used for non-health related purposes).

In November of 2002 he was reelected to another four-year term (due to term limits, this will be his final term as governor). By the end of his term Huckabee will have the third-longest tenure of any Arkansas Governor (only Orval Faubus, who served 6 consecutive 2-year terms (1955-1967), and Bill Clinton, who served 11 years, 11 months (1979-1981; 1983-1992), had longer tenures).

He was made the chair of the Southern Governors' Association in 1999 and served in that capacity through 2000. He has chaired the Southern Growth Policies Board, the Southern Region Education Board, the Southern Technology Council, and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, and currently serves as Chair of the Education Commission of the States, and the National Governors Association.

In 2003, the courts in Arkansas declared that the state's school funding procedure was unconstitutional and ordered the state to produce a fair system. Huckabee proposed a controversial plan that would consolidate many of the state's smaller school districts. School consolidation is very unpopular in rural Arkansas and may be the "third rail" of Arkansas politics. The court order has not yet been satisfied.

After Hurricane Katrina made landfall and numerous evacuees fled to Arkansas (the total number was estimated at around 70,000, but see below), Huckabee ordered state agencies to "take care of those human needs first and worry about the paperwork later". State parks offered deep discounts, waived pet restrictions, and bumped other reservations in favor of evacuees. Pharmacists were given emergency authority to dispense prescriptions and provide access to dialysis machines. Shelters opened up in nearly every portion of the state, and Huckabee requested that the entire state be declared a disaster area. Many of these shelters, either closed or set to close, have been reopened or kept open to process a "second wave" of Katrina evacuees being moved from Texas in the wake of the arriving Hurricane Rita.

Huckabee has also made use of his authority as Governor to pardon or commute the sentences of felons. The most (in)famous of these was Wayne Dumond, a convicted rapist who would later commit murder in Missouri. However, a thorough anaylsis of his actual commutations by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette actually found that the commutations he issued were similar to those of most governors in recent times.

Political opponents have often criticized his former career as a Baptist minister and he has been dubbed "Bro-Gov" by some wags.

For a time, the Governor lived in a "triple-wide" mobile home on the grounds of the Governor's Mansion while it underwent renovation. The home was donated by the state manufactured home association; Huckabee agreed to live in it since the industry is a key part of Arkansas' economy both in terms of sales and employment. However, some citizens criticized the move, saying that it played into common stereotypes of rural Arkansas.

During the 2002 elections his wife, Janet Huckabee, ran unsuccessfully for Secretary of State, and both received criticism for the dual election effort.

He has been mentioned as a possible candidate for President in U.S. presidential election of 2008 or to defeat incumbent Democratic senator Mark Pryor (also in 2008). Regarding a possible Presidential candidacy, similarities have already been drawn between Huckabee and Clinton:

-both are from Hope, Arkansas,
-both chaired the National Governors' Association (considered a stepping-stone for governors with Presidential aspirations),
-both are Southern Baptists
-both are musically inclined (Clinton plays the saxophone, Huckabee plays the guitar)


JOB APPROVAL POLLS
DateFirmApproveDisapproveDon't Know
03/06/2008-03/11/2008 Opinion Research Associates Inc 65.00% ( 15.0) 25.00% ( 15.0) 3.00% ( 1.0)
10/22/2006-10/26/2006 Opinion Research Associates Inc 50.00% ( 2.0) 40.00% ( 2.0) 4.00% ( 6.0)
10/08/2006-10/17/2006 University of Arkansas 55.00% ( 3.0) 32.00% ( 5.0) 13.00% ( 2.0)
09/26/2006-09/30/2006 Opinion Research Associates Inc 48.00% ( 0.0) 42.00% ( 0.0) 10.00% ( 0.0)
09/14/2006-09/17/2006 Survey USA 55.00% ( 2.0) 40.00% ( 3.0) 5.00% ( 1.0)
08/15/2006-08/15/2006 Rasmussen Reports 62.00% ( 0.0) 36.00% ( 0.0) 1.00% ( 0.0)
07/14/2006-07/16/2006 Survey USA 53.00% ( 3.0) 43.00% ( 4.0) 4.00% ( 0.0)
06/09/2006-06/11/2006 Survey USA 56.00% ( 4.0) 39.00% ( 3.0) 4.00% ( 0.0)
02/10/2006-02/12/2006 Survey USA 60.00% ( 4.0) 36.00% ( 2.0) 4.00% ( 2.0)
01/13/2006-01/15/2006 Survey USA 56.00% ( 4.0) 38.00% ( 1.0) 6.00% ( 2.0)

BOOKS
Title Purchase Contributor
Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork : A 12-Stop Program to End Bad Habits and Begin a Healthy Lifestyle  Purchase User 13 

EVENTS
Start Date End Date Type Title Contributor

NEWS
Date Category Headline Article Contributor
Jul 31, 2015 02:00pm Statement Mike Huckabee Won't Rule Out Using Federal Troops To Stop Abortions  Article RP 
Dec 14, 2012 04:00pm Idiocy Huckabee Says Connecticut School Massacre Occurred Because We ‘Removed God From Our Schools’  Article Craverguy 
Oct 31, 2012 04:00pm News Mike Huckabee Warns Christians: Obama Vote Will Crumple In Hell's Fire  Article John 
Nov 10, 2011 11:00am Blog Entry Mike Huckabee eyes Branson for variety show   Article DFWDem 
May 14, 2011 08:00pm Announcement Mike Huckabee won’t run for president in 2012  Article COSDem 
May 13, 2011 11:50am News Mike Huckabee promises 'very important announcement' [this Saturday]  Article Brandonius Maximus 

DISCUSSION
Importance? 7.57140 Average

FAMILY
Wife Janet Huckabee May 25, 1974-
Daughter Sarah Huckabee Sanders 1982-

INFORMATION LINKS
Encyclopedia of Arkansas  Discuss
RACES
  11/04/2008 US President - Popular Vote Lost 0.00% (-52.91%)
  06/03/2008 US President - D Primaries Lost 0.00% (-47.95%)
  06/03/2008 US President - R Primaries Lost 20.23% (-26.26%)
  03/04/2008 US President - CST Primary Lost 0.01% (-36.06%)
  02/24/2008 PR US President - R Caucus Lost 4.83% (-85.99%)
  02/09/2008 WA US President - R Caucus Lost 23.94% (-1.80%)
  01/08/2008 NH US Vice President - R Primary Lost 5.01% (-57.42%)
  01/08/2008 NH US Vice President - D Primary Lost 0.06% (-46.87%)
  08/11/2007 Iowa GOP Presidential Straw Poll Lost 18.09% (-13.49%)
  11/05/2002 AR Governor Won 53.01% (+6.06%)
  05/21/2002 AR Governor- R Primary Won 85.44% (+70.87%)
  11/03/1998 AR Governor Won 59.77% (+21.11%)
  05/19/1998 AR Governor - R Primary Won 90.24% (+80.49%)
  07/14/1996 AR Governor - Succession Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
  11/08/1994 AR Lt. Governor Won 58.58% (+17.16%)
  07/27/1993 AR Lt. Governor - Special Election Won 50.85% (+1.70%)
  11/03/1992 AR US Senate Lost 39.82% (-20.35%)
  05/26/1992 AR US Senate - R Primary Won 79.16% (+58.32%)
ENTERED, DROPPED OUT
  06/07/2016 US President - R Primaries Lost 0.17% (-44.80%)
SPECULATIVE, DID NOT RUN
  08/28/2018 FL Governor - R Primary Lost 0.00% (-56.49%)
  03/23/2017 US Ambassador to Israel Lost 0.00% (-53.06%)
  02/27/2017 US Secretary of Commerce Lost 0.00% (-72.73%)
  02/10/2017 US Secretary of Health and Human Services Lost 0.00% (-52.53%)
  06/26/2012 US President - R Primaries Lost 0.00% (-52.03%)
ENDORSEMENTS
CA District 22 - Open Primary - Mar 05, 2024 R David G. Valadao
AR US President - R Primary - Mar 05, 2024 R Donald J. Trump
NC District 06 - R Primary - Mar 05, 2024 R Mark Walker
NC District 10 - R Primary - Mar 05, 2024 R Pat Harrigan
US President - R Primaries - Aug 11, 2024 R Donald J. Trump
NH District 02 - R Primary - Sep 13, 2022 R Robert Burns
AZ Governor - R Primary - Aug 02, 2022 R Karrin Taylor Robson
AR Governor - R Primary - May 24, 2022 R Sarah Huckabee Sanders
GA District 10 - R Primary - May 24, 2022 R Vernon Jones
GA State House 030 - R Primary - May 24, 2022 R Whitney Pimentel
NC US Senate - R Primary - May 17, 2022 R Mark Walker
OH District 13 - R Primary - May 03, 2022 R Janet Folger Porter
AR State Senate 07 - Special R Primary - Dec 14, 2021 R Jim Bob Duggar
GA US Senate - Special Election - Nov 03, 2020 R Doug Collins
US President - D Primaries - Aug 11, 2020 R Ami Horowitz
TN Governor - R Primary - Aug 02, 2018 R Randy Boyd
VA US Senate - R Primary - Jun 12, 2018 R Earl W. Jackson
OH Governor - R Primary - May 08, 2018 R Mary Taylor
AL US Senate - Special R Runoff - Sep 26, 2017 R Roy Moore
FL District 01 - R Primary - Aug 30, 2016 R Matt Gaetz
TN District 08 - R Primary - Aug 04, 2016 R David Kustoff
MO Governor - R Primary - Aug 02, 2016 R John Brunner
OH State Senate 22 - R Primary - Mar 15, 2016 R Janet Folger Porter
OK US Senate - Special R Primary - Jun 24, 2014 R James Lankford
FL District 19 - Special R Primary - Apr 22, 2014 R Lizbeth Benacquisto
OK District 2 - R Runoff - Aug 28, 2012 R George E. Faught
WI US Senate - R Primary - Aug 14, 2012 R Tommy Thompson
FL District 07 - R Primary - Aug 14, 2012 R John L. Mica
MO District 2 - R Primary - Aug 07, 2012 R Ann Wagner
MI US Senate - R Primary - Aug 07, 2012 R Gary Glenn
MO US Senate - R Primary - Aug 07, 2012 R Todd Akin
SC District 7 - R Primary - Jun 12, 2012 R André Bauer
TX US Senate - R Primary - May 29, 2012 R David Dewhurst
AR District 04 - R Primary - May 22, 2012 R Beth Anne Rankin
NE US Senate - R Primary - May 15, 2012 R Jon Bruning
NY Lt. Governor - R Primary - Sep 14, 2010 D Ron L. Magnus
FL US Senate - R Primary - Aug 24, 2010 R Marco A. Rubio
FL District 08 - R Primary - Aug 24, 2010 R Daniel Webster
FL District 25 - R Primary - Aug 24, 2010 R David Rivera
AK US Senate - R Primary - Aug 24, 2010 R Joe Miller
FL District 24 - R Primary - Aug 24, 2010 R Karen Diebel
GA District 7 - R Runoff - Aug 10, 2010 R Rob Woodall
GA District 09 - R Runoff - Aug 10, 2010 R Tom Graves
GA Governor - R Runoff - Aug 10, 2010 R Nathan Deal
KS District 1 - R Primary - Aug 03, 2010 R Tim Huelskamp
MI Governor - R Primary - Aug 03, 2010 R Michael A. Cox
MO District 7 - R Primary - Aug 03, 2010 R Billy Long
SC District 01- R Runoff - Jun 22, 2010 R Tim Scott
CA US Senate - R Primary - Jun 08, 2010 R Chuck DeVore
SC District 03 - R Primary - Jun 08, 2010 R Rex F. Rice
IA Governor - R Primary - Jun 08, 2010 R Bob Vander Plaats
SC Governor - R Primary - Jun 08, 2010 R André Bauer
AL District 05 - R Primary - Jun 01, 2010 R Les Phillip
MS District 1 - R Primary - Jun 01, 2010 R Alan Nunnelee
AL Governor - R Primary - Jun 01, 2010 R Robert Bentley
AR District 01 - R Primary - May 18, 2010 R Rick Crawford
AR District 2 - R Primary - May 18, 2010 R Scott Wallace
IN US Senate - R Primary - May 04, 2010 R Marlin A. Stutzman
OH - District 01 - R Primary - May 04, 2010 R Steve Chabot
VA Attorney General - R Convention - May 30, 2009 R Ken Cuccinelli
RNC Chairman - Jan 30, 2009 R John "Chip" Saltsman
NH District 2 - R Primary - Sep 09, 2008 R Robert E. "Bob" Clegg, Jr.
AK At-Large - R Primary - Aug 26, 2008 R Donald E. "Don" Young
GA District 7 - R Primary - Jul 15, 2008 R John E. Linder
US President - R Primaries - Jul 01, 2000 R Lamar Alexander
FEC COMMITTEES
C00577981 ARKANSAS FOR LEADERSHIP POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (ARKPAC) $ 761410.94