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Iowa caucus winner Republican Mike Huckabee has softened his “Christian leader” image and instead donned an “authentic conservative” cap in his bid for the presidential nomination in New Hampshire.
The shift in tactic is in response to the different breed of Republican voters in the Granite State compared to Iowa.
In New Hampshire, evangelical support is driven more by economic conservatism than religious fervor as in Iowa.
And while evangelicals still make up a significant portion of likely Republican primary voters, their number is far less than those in Iowa where over half of the caucus-goers this past Thursday were self-described “born-again” or evangelical Christians.
As a result, the former Arkansas governor is appealing to New Hampshire voters with his authenticity and “one-of you” message, speaking about improving the economy and health care system to help the average American.
“He’s not plastic,” said GOP strategist Greg Mueller, according to The Associated Press. “He speaks American, not Washingtonian. The way he communicates is coming off as a person who understands and can connect with middle America.”
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In ads running in the Granite State, Huckabee dropped the label “Christian leader” and replaced it with “authentic conservative” and “proven leader.” He has also left out the issues of abortion or same-sex “marriage” in his stump speech in New Hampshire, according to The New York Times.
“He has to appeal to the non-evangelical Republican voters, to those who do not put religion in first place,” noted CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider in his assessment of Huckabee in New Hampshire.
The Huckabee campaign said that he would be happy with a third place finish in New Hampshire, which would give him enough momentum to continue the race in the more conservative states of South Carolina and Florida.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain of Arizona are currently nearly tied in New Hampshire.
On Saturday, Romney won the Wyoming Republican caucuses, which received modest to little attention from candidates who focused their campaign on New Hampshire – its primary is a mere five days after Iowa’s.
On the flight from Iowa, Huckabee joked with reporters about plans he had to appeal to secular New Hampshire.
“A big tent revival out on the grounds of the Concord State Capitol?” Huckabee said in his deadpan style, according to The New York Times. “We’ll get them all converted to the evangelical faith, and then we’ll win. How’s that? That would work.”
New Hampshire will hold its presidential primary on Tuesday.
