On Monday, Fox News host and former presidential candidate and Mike Huckabee talked foreign policy for most of a 45-minute session with an assembled group of political reporters, signaling he is at least considering a run for president in 2016.
"Let me be very clear: I have not made a decision about whether I'm going to run or not. But if you want to know, could a person like me — could I be that person, did I think I could be in 2008? The answer is yes," he told Ron Fournier of
National Journal, one of the invited reporters.
Fournier notes that Huckabee discussed his frequent visits to Israel, his belief that in the battle against ISIS ground troops should be on the table, and that he, unlike President Barack Obama, sees no moral equivalence between Israel and the Palestinians.
Like Fournier, Byron York of The
Washington Examiner interpreted Huckabee's emphasis on foreign affairs as making it "clear Huckabee has been studying up — for a former governor steeped in domestic policy, often a sign of an impending run."
Huckabee will have another chance in October to showcase his knowledge of foreign policy and his commitment to Israel, an issue of great importance to Christian conservatives, at a
rally in Washington organized by Concerned Women of America and Huckabee's America Takes ACTION (ATA) organization.
"I have been to Israel nearly 30 times over the past 41 years and have never seen the nation under such threat. Israel is our closest ally and friend in the Middle East, and they are suffering due to the weak policies of the Obama administration.
"The president has done little to recognize the growing threat of Hamas. God has protected this tiny but increasingly powerful nation, and it's time for the United States to do the same," Huckabee said in a press release.
While he has been more focused on his television and radio programs, Republican voters in the all-important caucus state of Iowa still see Huckabee as a potential presidential candidate, according to a recent CNN poll.
The September 8-10
CNN/ORC poll shows Huckabee leading the Republican field with 21 percent. Former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is second with 12 percent and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is third with 7 percent.
Ryan had a 1-point edge over Huckabee among men, but the former Arkansas governor clearly won the women's vote with 27 percent. The second choice of women voters actually was "no opinion" with 22 percent, and Ryan trailed behind with 8 percent of women supporting him.
Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses in 2008.
He does not fare as well in
New Hampshire, where he finishes behind Paul, Ryan, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and is tied with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
In the CNN/ORC poll, 15 percent of Republican voters back Paul, while Bush and Ryan are tied at 10 percent, and Huckabee and Christie are tied at 9 percent.
A July
Gallup poll found Huckabee had slightly higher familiarity and net favorability than the other 10 potential Republican candidates tested.
Huckabee also has been keeping his name in the news by actively working on behalf of Republican candidates for Congress in 2014. His political action committee,
HuckPAC, has remained active, raising $14,745 to support a Republican candidates, according to its website.
In August, HuckPAC released a list of Senate
endorsements, including Pat Roberts in Kansas and Tom Cotton in Huckabee's home state.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.