Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, shown greeting people at a rally in Mason, Ohio, Monday, has closed on Mitt Romney in a poll of Iowa voters.
(DAVID KOHL/Associated Press)
Huckabee gains in Iowa fail to allay GOP doubters
Many see a rerun of Robertson's campaign in 1988
Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, shown greeting people at a rally in Mason, Ohio, Monday, has closed on Mitt Romney in a poll of Iowa voters.
(DAVID KOHL/Associated Press)
DES MOINES - Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has capitalized on his resume as a Southern Baptist minister and staunch conservative and his down-home style, to make a big impression on evangelical Christians and vault to a surprising second place in polls in Iowa - despite little spending and less campaigning than many rivals.
Yet, many GOP officials wonder whether he's on a path to reprise the 1988 performance of televangelist Pat Robertson, who shocked people with his second-place showing here but never got closer to the White House.
Last summer, Huckabee stunned many with a second-place showing in a big Republican straw poll, and surveys suggest that he has made continuing gains in Iowa where caucuses Jan. 3 will launch the presidential nominating season.
A new
A closer look shows Huckabee being backed by 44 percent of evangelical Protestants, who make up four in 10 Republican caucus goers and whom he and Romney have been aggressively courting.
"He is articulate and articulates the conservative message very well," said Steve Scheffler, head of the Iowa Christian Alliance.
Huckabee has made deep inroads in the evangelical community with an upbeat campaign style and a message and resume tailored for the community," he said. "I think Romney and Huckabee will end up in the top two. "I don't know what order they will be in."
Huckabee is from former president Bill Clinton's home town of Hope, Ark. He was elected lieutenant governor of Arkansas, ascended to the governor's office in 1996, won election on his own in 1998, and was reelected in 2002.
During his tenure he was best known for losing more than 100 pounds and making a healthy lifestyle a key issue.
Some conservatives are leery of his views on taxes, pointing to his Arkansas record.
The Club for Growth, which advocates limited government and lower taxes, points out that as governor he increased taxes on sales, gasoline, cigarettes, and nursing homes.
He says he had little choice because of court-ordered spending increases or rising federal entitlement spending for programs.
Republican Party of Iowa chairman Ray Hoffmann said Huckabee isn't well known here but has surprised many with his political skills.
"People meet Huckabee and he's a likable kind of a guy," said Hoffmann. "People are surprised when they meet him about his ability."
Drake University political science professor Dennis Goldford said Huckabee's surge could reflect weakness in the other candidates and his courting of the evangelical base. "Romney has targeted evangelicals as well," said Goldford. "He hasn't closed the sale yet."
For his part, Romney is busily lowering expectations, even though he has outspent his rivals, campaigned almost nonstop in the state, and flooded it with field organizers.
"I've been saying for some time that it's going to be a close race, and Governor Huckabee has made it a close race for some time," said Romney. "It's going to get interesting in the last six weeks."
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
