Mike Huckabee Says He'll Announce 2016 Presidential Decision May 5
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says he will officially announce his decision on a 2016 presidential run on May 5 in his hometown of Hope, Arkansas. He also said he is best positioned to defeat "the Clinton political machine."
"May 5 is the day I'll make an announcement and I hope people will come to Hope, Ark., not just to tour the Bill Clinton birthplace, but there's going to be an announcement that day and everybody will know then for sure whether Mike Huckabee is in the race or not," Huckabee told "Special Report" host Bret Baier on Fox News on Friday.
Huckabee's website also features a countdown clock showing how many days, hours, minutes and seconds are left for the announcement.
Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, won the Iowa caucuses in 2008 but later lost the GOP nomination to Sen. John McCain.
"We know that Iowa is going to be an important part of that path," Huckabee said earlier Friday speaking to reporters in Washington. "But clearly, coming out of Iowa with momentum is important. We need to do well in South Carolina. We need to show that we at least are competing in New Hampshire."
Huckabee said he is uniquely positioned to beat "the Clinton political machine," alluding to his win in Arkansas as governor.
"There's only one person I know in the Republican field that has consistently run against the Clinton political machine, the Clinton political money," Huckabee said, according to The Washington Post. "Most all of my races, both Bill and Hillary Clinton came back to Arkansas to campaign for my opponents. So I know the process quite well – and the good news for me is that I've defeated that political machine."
In March, an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll indicated that 52 percent of Republican primary voters could support Huckabee in 2016.
Huckabee, former Fox News host, chose not to criticize any of his potential GOP rivals. He said Democrats would do that anyway, according to CNN. He added he plans to expand his support base beyond social conservatives to include union workers and middle class voters who have been hit by policies of President Barack Obama.
In January, Huckabee told his viewers he is leaving Fox News to explore another bid for the White House. "As much as I have loved doing the show, I cannot bring myself to rule out another presidential run."
However, Huckabee clarified that "I'm not making that announcement right now and my timetable is still just what wait was before, later this spring, but I agree with Fox this is the right thing and now is the right time."
He added at the time, "It has been the ride of a lifetime, and I have never had so much fun in my life. But I also realize that God hasn't put me on earth just to have a good time or to make a good living, but rather has put me on earth to try to make a good life."
