Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee gestures while speaking at the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church for Reclaiming America for Christ Conference, Friday, March 17, 2006, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Photo: AP / Steve Mitchell)
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Faith is not present enough in politics as candidates and elected officials try to court voters too broadly out of fear that their values will splinter their base, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said at a Christian gathering on Friday.
Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister who is considering a run for president, pledged to always remain true to his beliefs.
"I don't think most Americans are turned off by people of faith. I think they're turned off by people who are phony," Huckabee said to a small group before his talk. He added that Christianity is not represented "nearly enough" in Washington.
Experts say potential GOP candidates are starting two years early with attempts to shore up the Christian base.
"It's as early as it's ever been," said Jennifer Duffy, editor of The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan Internet publication. "The battle for the hearts of this group is wide open ... They make up a third or more of the Republican primary vote."
Huckabee, chairman of the National Governors Association, said that regardless of a possible run for the White House, "I'm still going to be pro-life, and I'm still going to believe that marriage means something and its definition is historic and it should be preserved."
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"Americans really want to know who they're elected officials are. They want to know in an honest and transparent way," he added.
"There are many Americans who are spiritually disconnected, culturally lost," Huckabee said later speaking to about 800 people at the event hosted by the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ. "Most of us in this room truly believe that America was better off when it was more about 'Leave it to Beaver' than 'Beavis and Butthead.'"
U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Fla., who recently announced she would use $10 million of her inheritance to fund her bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, was set to speak to the group Saturday.
"For the first time in a long time there's no natural front runner for the Republicans. This is anybody's game," Duffy said.
Other potential candidates for the Republican nomination include former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Arizona Sen. John McCain, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and, among others, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is termed out this year.
Organizers of the Christian event said Bush had not been invited to speak.
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
