Mike Huckabee

===Speculated 2012 presidential campaign===
[[File:Former Governor Mike Huckabee speaking at the 2011 Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.jpg|thumb|Former Governor Huckabee speaking at the 2011 [[Republican Leadership Conference]] in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]]]]
{{See also|2012 United States presidential election}}
In a November 19, 2008, article by the [[Associated Press]], Huckabee addressed the possibility of running for president in 2012. He said, "I'm not ruling anything out for the future, but I'm not making any specific plans."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2008Nov19/0,4675,HuckabeeBook,00.html |title=Huckabee won't rule out 2012 run for President |last=Ohlemacher |first=Stephen |agency=Associated Press |date=November 19, 2008}}</ref>

Amid speculation about a future run for the presidency, a [[CNN]] poll in December 2008 found Huckabee at the top of the list of 2012 GOP contenders, along with former [[Alaska]]n [[List of Governors of Alaska|governor]] [[Sarah Palin]], fellow 2008 presidential candidate [[Mitt Romney]], and former [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] [[Newt Gingrich]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/12/05/huckabee-and-palin-top-early-2012-list/ |first=Paul |last=Steinhauser |title=Huckabee and Palin top early 2012 list |publisher=[[CNN]] |access-date=December 6, 2008 |date=December 5, 2008}}</ref>

On December 3, 2008, Cincinnati-based [[NBC]] affiliate WLWT asked Huckabee about the prospect of running, to which he said, "I'm pretty sure I'll be out there. Whether it's for myself or somebody else I may decide will be a better standard bearer, that remains to be seen."<ref>{{cite web|title=2012 Speculation Swirls As Huckabee Visits Tri-State|url=http://www.wlwt.com/politics/18192964/detail.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511012441/http://www.wlwt.com/politics/18192964/detail.html|archive-date=May 11, 2011|access-date=2 April 2009|website=WLWT}}</ref>

A June 2009 [[CNN]]/[[Opinion Research Corporation]] national poll showed Huckabee as the 2012 presidential co-favorite of the Republican electorate along with Palin and Romney.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/06/02/cnn-poll-no-frontrunner-in-gop-2012-presidential-race/ | title=CNN Poll: No frontrunner in GOP 2012 presidential race | publisher=[[CNN]] | date=June 2, 2009}}</ref> An October 2009 poll of Republicans by [[Rasmussen Reports]] put Huckabee in the lead with 29%, followed by Romney on 24% and Palin on 18%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2012/gop_2012_huckabee_29_romney_24_palin_18 |date=October 16, 2009 |access-date=October 17, 2009 |publisher=[[Rasmussen Reports]] |title=GOP 2012: Huckabee 29% Romney 24% Palin 18%}}</ref> In a November 2009 [[The Gallup Organization|Gallup]] poll, Huckabee was shown as the leading Republican contender for 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.gallup.com/poll/124097/huckabee-romney-palin-see-most-republican-support-12.aspx|title= Huckabee, Romney, Palin See Most Republican Support for '12|date= November 5, 2009|publisher=[[Gallup (company)|Gallup]]|access-date=November 25, 2009}}</ref> In November 2010 [[CNN]] projected in a poll that Huckabee would defeat Barack Obama in a hypothetical 2012 contest.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2010/pollcenter/individual/index.html#1823 |title= Huckabee would defeat Obama in a hypothetical 2012 contest|date= November 7, 2010|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=November 10, 2010}}</ref> In a Rasmussen poll taken January 11–14, 2011, Huckabee was even with Obama at 43% each.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/romney_huckabee_even_with_obama_other_gop_hopefuls_trail |title= Romney, Huckabee Even With Obama, Other GOP Hopefuls Trail|date= February 6, 2011|publisher=[[Rasmussen Reports]] |access-date=March 8, 2011}}</ref>

Huckabee took stances opposed to the nature of the incumbent president, [[Barack Obama]]. In comments made March 1, 2011, on ''[[The Steve Malzberg Show]]'', Huckabee said of Obama, "I would love to know more. What I know is troubling enough. And one thing that I do know is his having grown up in Kenya, his view of the Brits, for example, is very different than the average American."<ref>{{cite news |first=Emi |last=Kolawole |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2011/03/huckabee-asserts-hes-not-a-bir.html |title=Huckabee claims inaccurately that Obama was raised in Kenya |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=March 1, 2011}}<br />{{cite news |first=Alexander |last=Mooney |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/01/oops-huckabee-says-obama-grew-up-in-kenya/ |title=Oops! Huckabee says Obama grew up in Kenya |publisher=[[CNN]] |work=Political Ticker |date=March 1, 2011}}</ref> (This is a reference to the [[Mau Mau Uprising]] against the colonial rule of the United Kingdom in 1952; Obama himself has never lived in Kenya.)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/05/mike-huckabee-janet-porter-soviet-spy |title=Huckabee Adviser: Obama is a Soviet Spy |first=Tim |last=Murphy |work=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] |date=May 10, 2011}}</ref>

On May 14, 2011, Huckabee announced on his [[Fox News Channel|FNC]] show that he would not be a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012. Despite his high national poll numbers and being seen by many as the front runner, Huckabee declined to run, saying, "All the factors say 'go,' but my heart says 'no.{{'"}}<ref>{{cite news |first=Chris |last=Cillizza |title=Mike Huckabee won't run for president in 2012 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/mike-huckabee-wont-run-for-president-in-2012/2011/05/14/AFGcpk3G_blog.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=May 14, 2011 |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>