Huckabee Supporters May Not Rush to Palin

Many pundits in Washington assume that if Sarah Palin decides to run for president, she’ll easily draw the support of former backers of Mike Huckabee. The thinking is that the two share similar conservative views, so the Huckabee rooters would be happy to join the Palin bandwagon. But think again, says The Hill.

“There are some significant differences between the two that suggest Huckabee supporters might not flock to Palin en masse,” the news service states.

First, Palin’s style is much more combative than Huckabee’s. And many supporters were drawn to Huckabee by his genial demeanor.

Second, surprisingly enough, Huckabee polled better among women than Palin did. Third, Huckabee polled better among some evangelicals.

In Public Policy Polling’s most recent survey of Iowa, Palin didn’t benefit much from Huckabee’s absence.

With Huckabee in the race, Palin drew 12 percent, while with him out she rose only to 15 percent.