Mike Huckabee

"Huckabee" redirects here. For the 2004 film, see I ♥ Huckabees.

Michael Dale Huckabee
54th Governor of Arkansas
In office July 15 1996 – January 9 2007
Lieutenant	Winthrop Paul Rockefeller (1996–2006)
Preceded by	Jim Guy Tucker
Succeeded by	Mike Beebe
12th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas
In office November 20 1993 – July 15 1996
Governor	Jim Guy Tucker
Preceded by	Jim Guy Tucker
Succeeded by	Winthrop Paul Rockefeller
Personal details
Born	(1955-08-24) August 24, 1955 Hope, Arkansas
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Janet Huckabee
Children	John Mark, David, and Sarah
Alma mater	Ouachita Baptist University
Profession	American Politician, Author, Public Speaker, & Inactive Minister
Signature	File:Huckabeesig.png
Website	http://www.mikehuckabee.com

Michael Dale "Mike" Huckabee (born August 24 1955) is a former governor of the U.S. state of Arkansas, having served from 1996 to 2007. He was the third Republican governor of the state since Reconstruction and was the most popular political figure in Arkansas for some periods of his tenure. He officially announced his candidacy for the 2008 United States presidential election on January 28 2007.

Huckabee is the author of several books, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, public speaker, and a musician, playing bass guitar in his rock-and-roll band Capitol Offense. He is well known for losing 110 pounds (50 kg) in a very short time and advocating a healthy lifestyle. In 2005, Huckabee was praised by TIME Magazine as one of the five best governors in America and Governing Magazine who named him among the Public Officials of the Year. He has also received the AARP Impact Award, recognizing those who have done something extraordinary to make the world a better place. Huckabee has been criticized on his fiscal record, his handling of the Wayne Dumond case, and handling of illegal immigration. He and his wife, Janet, have three grown children: John Mark, David, and Sarah.

Early life

Huckabee was born in Hope, Arkansas, to Mae Elder and Dorsey W. Huckabee. His father worked as a fireman and mechanic and his mother worked as a clerk in a gas company. He has one sister who is a middle school teacher. Huckabee's first job, at 14, was working at a radio station where he would read the news and weather. He was elected Governor of Arkansas Boys State in 1972 and is a Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Alumnus. He was president of Hope High School in 1973. He married his wife Janet McCain on May 25, 1974. He graduated magna cum laude from Ouachita Baptist University, completing his bachelors degree in 2½ years before attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. There is some confusion in the public record regarding Huckabee's educational record at the seminary. Some public sources report that he received a master's degree from Southwestern in 1980. Other accounts report that he dropped out after attending the seminary for a year, and imply he never returned. This seminary supports intelligent design and reinforced Huckabee's well-known anti-evolutionism.

At 23, Huckabee was a staffer for James Robison, a television evangelist. Robison commented, "His convictions shape his character and his character will shape his policies. His whole life has been shaped by moral absolutes." Huckabee has stated, "Politics are totally directed by worldview. That's why when people say, 'We ought to separate politics from religion,' I say to separate the two is absolutely impossible". Huckabee believes in Biblical inerrancy. Prior to his political career, Huckabee was pastor of several Southern Baptist churches in Arkadelphia, Texarkana, and Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He encouraged the all-white Immanuel Baptist Church to accept black members. He served as president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention from 1989 to 1991 and as president of a religion-oriented television station.

Early political career

In 1992, in Huckabee's first political race, he lost to incumbent U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers (D), receiving 40 percent of the vote in the general election. That same election saw Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton ascend to the Presidency, meaning that Lieutenant Governor Jim Guy Tucker became the new Governor. Huckabee narrowly won a special election for lieutenant governor on July 27, 1993. He defeated Nate Coulter, who had been Bumpers' campaign manager the previous year. Huckabee became only the second Republican since Reconstruction to serve as Arkansas lieutenant governor, the first being Maurice L. Britt from 1967 to 1971.

Dick Morris, who had previously worked for Bill Clinton, advised Huckabee on his race in 1993, and again in 1994 when Huckabee ran for re-election. Huckabee commented that Morris was a "personal friend". A newspaper article reported on Huckabee's 1993 win: "Morris said the mistake Republicans always make is that they are too much of a country club set. What we wanted to do was run a progressive campaign that would appeal to all Arkansans.'" Morris elaborated, "So we opened the campaign with ads that characterized Mike as more of a moderate whose values were the same as those of other Arkansans."

In 1994, Huckabee was re-elected to a full term as lieutenant governor, beating Democrat Charlie Cole Chaffin with nearly 59% of the vote.

In 1995, Huckabee campaigned against a highway referendum which included tax increases and a bond program supported by then-Governor Tucker. The referendum lost, getting support from only 13% of voters. Huckabee also opposed Tucker's plan for school consolidation.

In 1996, Huckabee ran for U.S. Senate again, winning the Republican nomination. But in May 1996 he announced he would quit the race and would instead fill the unexpired term of Tucker. Tucker had announced that he would resign in July while appealing a federal conviction in the Whitewater scandal.

Governor of Arkansas

Ascent to governorship

On July 15 1996, Huckabee was sworn in as Governor of Arkansas. Tucker rescinded his resignation as Huckabee was preparing to be sworn in, but within a few hours reinstated his resignation because Huckabee had gone on television and threatened to initiate impeachment proceedings against Tucker.

In the fall of 1996, Huckabee campaigned for the passage of ballot Amendment 1, a plan to adjust rules concerning property taxes to make school funding more equal across the state, and Amendment 2, a constitutional amendment dedicating one eighth of each cent of the state sales tax to improvement of the state's park system and natural resources. As part of the campaign, Huckabee traveled the entire length of the Arkansas River within Arkansas by boat. Amendment 1 passed 52-48 and Amendment 2 passed 51-49.

He proclaimed 1997 as a year of racial reconciliation. He said, "Let every one of us make it our priority to bring reconciliation, not so much that we can force it or legislate it, because we cannot, but that we begin in each of our own lives to purpose in our hearts that we will not harbor anger, hostility, prejudice, bigotry and racism toward any person."

As governor, Huckabee signed legislation that created ARKids First, a health insurance program which extended coverage to children of lower income families, and is funded in part by Medicaid, SCHIP, and the tobacco industry lawsuit settlement. The program cut the number of uninsured children to 9% in 2003, compared to 12% national level.

On May 22 1998, the Arkansas Ethics Commission fined Huckabee US$1,000 for failing to report campaign payments made to Huckabee and his wife. In October, 1998 the Arkansas Times suggested that Huckabee used a fund set up for the maintenance of the Governor's Mansion for his own personal use. The Arkansas Times also reported that Huckabee was listed as the recipient of furniture given to the Governor's Mansion and not the Mansion itself. Tom Mars, Huckabee's attorney, denied any misuse or inappropriate actions.

First full term

In November 1998, Huckabee was elected to a full four-year term. He defeated retired Colonel Gene McVay of Fort Smith in the primary and Jonesboro attorney Bill Bristow, a Democrat, in the general election.

On April 1 1999, Huckabee signed into law a 3-cent increase in tax on gasoline and a 4-cent increase on diesel. Attached to the bill was a bond issue to pay for highway construction. The Commercial Appeal reported: "All the diesel money will be earmarked to pay off the bonds or, if the bond issue fails, to directly finance repairs to the interstates. The gasoline tax money will finance work on non-interstate state roads, notably projects approved in a 1991 road program that without new money remains seven years from completion. Should the bond issue fail, the taxes would remain in place, lessening the chances that the trucking industry will campaign against the bonds." Huckabee commented that the bond issue "won't affect taxes, it will only affect construction acceleration."

Huckabee led a public relations campaign for the bond program for road reconstruction. Arkansas voters had traditionally shied away from public debt, having experienced a major bond scandal that affected the state's finances for the latter half of the 19th century. This time, however, the voters approved Huckabee's program.

In 1999, the Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability Program (ACTAAP) was established. Huckabee acknowledged borrowing the K-12 public education program:

"..I've been fortunate to become friends with Gov. Jim Hunt of North Carolina and Gov. George W. Bush of Texas. They've shared their comprehensive assessment and accountability programs. We now have statewide academic standards that allow us to set clear teaching objectives. We have statewide assessments linked to those standards. We have accountability systems with consequences for schools that fail to perform."

Subsequent legislation amended ACTAAP to make it conform to No Child Left Behind.

Huckabee was made the chair of the Southern Governors' Association in 1999 and served in that capacity through 2000. He has chaired the Southern Growth Policies Board, the Southern Region Education Board, the Southern Technology Council, and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, and currently serves as Chair of the Education Commission of the States. He is also a member of the Republican Governors Association and former chairman of the National Governors Association.

In 2000, Huckabee moved into a mobile home on the grounds of the Arkansas Governor's Mansion while the mansion was being renovated. The move became the topic of jokes on the evening talk show circuit. "It's not a trailer. It's a triple wide," Huckabee joked. Huckabee told Jay Leno that the 2,100-square-foot, $110,000 trailer (donated by the Arkansas Manufactured Housing Association) "was big enough for your chin." Huckabee said the move saved the state substantial money because support and security staff did not have to move to a new rented location.

In 2000, Huckabee led a campaign to funnel 100 percent of the state's tobacco settlement revenues into the state's health care system, rather than into the general fund.

In 2000, Huckabee commented, "In almost four years as governor, no issue has excited Arkansans as much as the question of where the University of Arkansas should play its home football games. That debate attracted far more letters, e-mails and phone calls to the governor's office than any other issue we've faced. And those who contacted us felt strongly. I had made my feelings known to the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, and those Arkansans who agreed with me were effusive in their praise. By the same token, some of those who disagreed were downright vicious in their comments."

On March 7 2001, Huckabee signed a tax on private nursing homes for $5.25 per day per non-Medicare patient.

The same year, Huckabee was named “Friend of a Taxpayer” by Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) for his cut in statewide spending.

In April 2001, Canadian comedian Rick Mercer aired his Talking to Americans special; in it, Huckabee was recorded congratulating Canada on preserving its "National Igloo".

On April 11 2001, Huckabee signed the "Covenant Marriage Act", which is a marriage contract option that compels the couple to seek counseling if problems develop during the marriage, provides limited grounds for divorce or separation, and restricts lawsuits against spouses. Huckabee said the law, "offers couples a chance to be held to a higher level of marital commitment."

In 2001 Huckabee proclaimed October as "Student Religious Liberty Month" and urged student districts to allow their students to pray.

In 2002, Huckabee and his wife Janet ran on the same ballot. Mike Huckabee ran for Governor, while Janet Huckabee ran for Secretary of State. The New York Times reported that this set off an "avalanche of criticism." A Republican State Representative, Jake Files, commented, "'That's just a lot of power in one family's hands" Mike Huckabee won his race with 53 percent of the vote, while his wife Janet lost having only 38 percent of the vote. Mike Huckabee has stated that Janet Huckabee had tried to recruit other candidates willing to run for Secretary of State. But no one else was willing, so she ran herself.

Wayne DuMond case

See main article: Wayne DuMond

Huckabee has come under criticism for his handling of the case of Wayne DuMond (also spelled Dumond), a convicted rapist who was released during Huckabee's governorship and who subsequently sexually assaulted and murdered a woman in Missouri. DuMond's case had attracted national attention in the mid-1990s from critics of President Clinton who felt that Clinton, Arkansas Governor at the time of the rape, had been too harsh with DuMond because DuMond's victim was a distant Clinton relative. Clinton had recused himself from any involvement in the case. Before taking office, Huckabee met with DuMond's wife and privately announced his intention that DuMond be set free, stating his unhappiness with the way Clinton had handled the case. DuMond was castrated prior to his trial; he stated that he was attacked by two men in his home (though district prosecutor Gene Raff suggested it was a case of self-mutilation and a urologist who'd studied the topic told the Forrest City Times-Herald that self-mutilation isn't that rare among psychologically disturbed sex offenders.

On September 20 1996, Huckabee publicly announced his intention of commuting DuMond's sentence to time served. DuMond had originally been sentenced to life plus twenty years in prison, but in 1992, Tucker reduced the sentence to 39½ years, which gave DuMond the possibility of parole. There was strong opposition to Huckabee's plan from DuMond's rape victims, female Arkansas legislators, and various law enforcement officials, leaving Huckabee in a difficult situation politically.

On October 31 1996, Huckabee met privately with the parole board to talk about the DuMond case. On January 16 1997, DuMond was granted parole, just five months after he had been rejected. Huckabee released a statement saying, "I concur with the board’s action and hope the lives of all those involved can move forward. The action of the board accomplishes what I sought to do in considering an earlier request for commutation ...In light of the action of the board, my original intent to commute the sentence to time served is no longer relevant." The parole was granted on the condition that DuMond leave the state. He moved to Smithville, Missouri in 1999 and was later convicted there of sexually assaulting and murdering a woman that lived near his home. DuMond was also a suspect in the murder of a pregnant woman in Platte County, Missouri. DuMond died in prison in 2005. Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley has argued that Huckabee granted too many clemencies.

In 2005, The Arkansas Times reported on the role that Huckabee played in the parole board's decision. When questioned about the case during his presidential campaign in 2007, Huckabee has denied pressuring any parole board members to release DuMond. Huckabee has also discussed the incident in his book From Hope to Higher Ground.

Second full term

Mike Huckabee speaking at a Southern California engagement in October of 2007.

In November 2002, Huckabee was reelected to his second four-year term. Huckabee defeated State Treasurer Jimmie Lou Fisher, garnering 53 percent of the vote. By the end of that term, Huckabee owned the third-longest tenure of any Arkansas Governor. Only Democrats Orval Faubus, who served six consecutive two-year terms (1955–1967), and Clinton, who served eleven years, eleven months (1979–1981; 1983–1992), had longer tenures).

On November 21 2002, the Arkansas Supreme Court declared that the state's school funding procedure was unconstitutional and ordered the state to produce a fair system. The Arkansas State Constitution contains a clause which mandates equitable public education which has been the basis for repeated lawsuits over the years. Huckabee proposed a plan that would consolidate schools districts of less than 1,500 students. The legislature rejected that and instead passed a plan in January 2004 that would consolidate school districts of less than 350.students. School consolidation is a contentious issue. The issue would resurface when the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled again on school funding in December 2005.

On April 11, 2003 Huckabee signed a law which mandates annual body mass index (BMI) measurements for all public school children. The results are then reported to parents with information about how to combat obesity. The law also sets up advisory committees to promote exercise and good nutrition for schools.

On May 8 2003, Huckabee signed into law increases in cigarette and tobacco taxes as well as a 3 percent income tax surcharge.

In July 2003, Roby Brock reached a settlement with Huckabee and the Arkansas Educational Television Network. Brock had filed a lawsuit alleging that the defendants had conspired to remove his television program from the air.

After Hurricane Katrina made landfall and an estimated 70,000 evacuees fled to Arkansas, Huckabee ordered state agencies to take care of them. State parks offered discounts, waived pet restrictions, and bumped other reservations in favor of evacuees. Pharmacists were given emergency authority to dispense prescriptions and provide access to dialysis machines. Shelters opened up in nearly every portion of the state, and Huckabee requested that the entire state be declared a disaster area. It was not. Many of these shelters, either closed or set to close, were reopened or kept open to process a "second wave" of Katrina evacuees moved from Texas in the wake of arriving Hurricane Rita. (See also Hurricane Katrina disaster relief).

In April 2005, Huckabee vetoed a bill which would have allowed public drinking of alcohol in entertainment districts.

In November 2005, Time named Huckabee one of the five best governors in the U.S.

In early 2006, Huckabee — along with fellow governors Rick Perry (R-TX); Jim Doyle (D-WI); and Dave Freudenthal (D-WY) — went on a week-long visit to the Middle East and South Asia as part of a Department of Defense-funded trip to provide the state leaders with an idea of the conditions under which American forces are serving. While visiting Baghdad and Tikrit, Huckabee and the governors received briefings from Gen. George Casey and Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad.

Throughout his tenure as Governor, welfare rolls declined by nearly half and during his last year in office the state's economy grew 4.4%, beating the national average of 4.2%.

In November 2006, both Huckabee and his wife drew criticism for creating wedding registries in the amount of over $6000 at both the Target and Dillard's web sites, in conjunction with a housewarming party to celebrate a new house they had purchased in Little Rock. The Arkansas Times, which first reported the story, noted that wedding gifts represent one of the exceptions to a $100 cap on gifts to political leaders under Arkansas law. Huckabee said that the registries were intended only for those who were invited to the event, that he was not involved in organizing the event, and that they were classified as wedding registries only because those sites did not have separate categories for housewarming parties.

Weight loss and health advocacy

When elected governor of Arkansas, Huckabee was significantly overweight. In 2003, physicians diagnosed the governor with adult-onset diabetes and informed him that he would not live more than ten years if he did not lose weight. Prompted by this diagnosis (as well as the subsequent death of former Governor White, whose obesity led to a fatal heart attack), Huckabee began dieting and exercising. He subsequently lost over 110 pounds. The New York Times called the weight loss so rapid that "it was as if he simply unzipped a fat suit and stepped out." Although Huckabee has stated that he never smoked nor drank, he declared himself a "recovering foodaholic". Huckabee has publicly recounted his previous burdens as an overweight man: the steps of the Arkansas capitol from the entrance of the building up to the Governor's office were so long and steep that he would be out of breath and exhausted by the time he reached the top of the stairs; he secretly feared that he would be interviewed by media at the top of the steps, and that he would be unable to respond appropriately due to his overexertion and breathlessness.

Huckabee has discussed his weight loss and used health care reform as a major focus of his governorship.

Huckabee has run in several mararthons: the 2005 Marine Corps Marathon, the 2005 and 2006 Little Rock Marathon and the 2006 New York City Marathon. The 2005 Little Rock Marathon featured an impromptu challenge between Huckabee and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack. Huckabee completed the marathon in 4:38:31, defeating Vilsack by 50 minutes. He wrote a book chronicling his experience, Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork. Huckabee was one of 10 recipients of a 2006 American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Impact Award acknowledging his work as a "health crusader."

Campaign for United States President, 2008 election

Mike Huckabee campaign logo

Main article: Mike Huckabee presidential campaign, 2008

Huckabee announced his run for the White House on Meet the Press on January 28 2007. Huckabee's national poll numbers remained below 10% until October 2007, but he saw increasing support in polling through November and in early December of 2007 was named "co-front runner" by a number of media outlets.

Criticism and controversies

Fiscal record

Huckabee's fiscal record as governor has been criticized by various groups and individuals. The Club for Growth argues that Huckabee increased state spending 65.3 percent (1996–2004) and supported five tax increases, prompting them to accuse Huckabee of being a liberal in disguise. The group ran ads against Huckabee in Iowa during the days leading up to the 2007 presidential straw poll. In response, his campaign released a statement claiming that Huckabee doubled the standard deduction and the child care tax credit, eliminated the marriage penalty and the capital gains tax on the sale of a home, and reduced the capital gains tax for both businesses and individuals. Ernest Dumas of the Arkansas Times, a consistent Huckabee critic, responded that most of the tax cuts were small deductions and exemptions initiated by the state legislature, that the broad-based tax cut was proposed by his predecessor and that Huckabee was "the biggest taxer and spender in Arkansas history". Former Arkansas State Representative Randy Minton (R) has said; "[Huckabee's] support for taxes split the Republican Party, and damaged our name brand." The Club for Growth has purchased more ads attacking Huckabee's tax record as governor, which are expected to run first in Iowa and South Carolina (two states with early Republican presidential primaries) and then nationwide in early 2008.

The group has pointed out that Huckabee publicly opposed the repeal of a sales tax on groceries and medicine in 2002, signed a bill raising taxes on gasoline in 1999, and signed a $5.25 bed-tax on private nursing home patients in 2001. The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration states that during Huckabee's tenure, taxes were cut ninety times for savings of $378 million dollars, while taxes were raised twenty-one times for an increase of $883 million dollars. Arkansas Health Care Association President Jim Cooper stated that the private nursing home tax was necessary in order to avert future huge tax increases as a result of years of mismanagement.

The Cato Institute, a libertarian non-profit public policy research foundation, gave Huckabee an "F" for spending and tax policy in 2006. Huckabee has asserted he did not raise spending significantly in areas he could control and in those areas spending rose six-tenths of one percent a year during his entire governance. He also signed the first broad-based tax cut in Arkansas's history. For 2007, he says that his state enjoyed a surplus of nearly $850 million. However, during his tenure, the state’s general obligation debt increased by almost $1 billion. His refusal to raise taxes in the face of a budget shortfall sparked criticism from lawmakers and members of the media alike. In response to the criticism he created the "Tax Me More Fund", which was a voluntary fund for people who felt that the government needed to raise more taxes. State Sen. Minority Leader John Brown called the "Tax Me More Fund" a campaign tactic.

The 1999 gas and fuel tax hikes were never on the ballot in Arkansas, but Huckabee has told reporters that “the fuel tax was a vote of the people—eighty percent of the people voted to improve roads”, and his manager has stated that “more than 80% of the voters supported a four cent tax on diesel fuel to fix the roads” and that through the same process voters approved a tax increasing the sales tax by an eighth of a cent to preserve their natural and cultural heritage. Huckabee's manager has said that it would have been in violation of Governor Huckabee’s oath of office to override the voters with respect to the referendums, and concluded that the citizens were responsible for the increases in taxation. However the tax increase was signed into law over two months before the voters approved a bond issue which did not include the gas tax increases.

In January 2007 on Meet the Press, Huckabee said "I think you've got to be very careful. I wouldn’t propose any new taxes. I wouldn’t support any. But if we’re in a situation where we are in a different level of war, where there is no other option, I think that it’s a very dangerous position to make pledges that are outside the most important pledge you make, and that is the oath you take to uphold the Constitution and protect the people of the United States." Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform, who in 2006 called the governor a “serial tax increaser," stated recently, "Gov. Huckabee recognizes that the challenge is to rein in spending and reduce taxes." Huckabee supports the Fair Tax, which would do away with all federal taxes and replace them with a single national sales tax. In March of 2007, Huckabee signed the Presidential Taxpayer Protection Pledge of Americans for Tax Reform, promising not to increase taxes at the federal level.

Illegal immigration

Huckabee has been criticized for his positions on illegal immigration while he was Governor. In his 2005 State of the State address, he complained that a Hispanic student was not able to get financial aid because he was an illegal immigrant. Huckabee said: "But when he applied for financial aid, he wasn’t eligible for the various scholarships or grants because of his status, a status that he had no decision in or control over." Huckabee supported a 2005 bill by Arkansas State Representative Joyce Elliott to make some illegal immigrants eligible for scholarships and in-state college tuition. Huckabee vehemently opposed a 2005 bill sponsored by Arkansas State Senator Jim Holt which would deny state benefits to illegal immigrants, calling it "un-Christian." Huckabee argued that illegal immigrants pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits: "They pay fuel taxes. If they're using a fake Social Security number, they're paying Social Security taxes and will never receive any benefit. It would be closer to the truth to say they're subsidizing Joe McCutchen and Jim Holt more than the other way around."

In 2007, Huckabee said, "I just don't think it's realistic to say this weekend we're going to round up 12 to 20 million young people and their children and we're going to put them across the border and they're never going to come back." In a 2007 interview, Huckabee argued that job loss caused by illegal immigration is not a problem, saying, "You know, when people say, 'they're taking our jobs'—I used to hear that as Governor—and I started asking this question, 'can you name me any person, give me their name, who can't get a job plucking a chicken or picking a tomato or tarring a roof that would like to do that work?' ... I never, ever, had a person who could come up with the name of a person who could not get a job because an illegal immigrant had stepped in front of them because it was either a job that person didn't want to do or didn't exist." Huckabee believes that Congress should seal the border and does not advocate punishing children of illegal immigrants for their parents' crime. He stated in an interview with National Review, “I have always said you don’t punish a child for the crime of a parent ... Frankly, it’s in our best interest to try to get that child on to a higher level of education.” In his opening remarks among Hispanic civil rights leaders at a LULAC convention, Huckabee said the nation will need to address the concerns of the Hispanic community because of its growing influence and population base. "Pretty soon, Southern white guys like me may be in the minority," Huckabee said jokingly as the crowd roared in laughter. He told the LULAC delegates that their presence in the state's capital city was very important because Arkansas has one of the fastest growing Hispanic populations in the nation. "Your gathering is so very significant for our state," Huckabee said. A recent plan from the Huckabee campaign, refered to as the "Secure America Plan", outlines a 9-point strategy for immigration enforcement and border security. The plan was partially modeled on a proposal by Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.

Public comments

Huckabee has made a number of public statements that have drawn criticism, including comparing his weight loss to the experience of a concentration camp, for which the National Jewish Democratic Council chastised Huckabee, and his use of suicide as a joke about fundraising efforts by himself and his opponents in the Republican primaries, for which he was criticized by various suicide awareness groups. In both cases, Huckabee and his campaign publicly apologized. Commenting on a third incident paralleling Arkansas journalists critical of his policies to disgraced reporters Jayson Blair and Janet Cooke, Huckabee said "You'll see it—one of the things that gets me in trouble is my love of metaphors. I use hyperbole in the course of trying to paint a word picture. I pay a dear price for it."

Political positions

Main article: Political positions of Mike Huckabee

• Huckabee opposes abortion, same-sex marriage, and civil unions. In an interview with GQ Magazine, Huckabee said, "There’s never been a civilization that has rewritten what marriage and family means and survived."

• Huckabee is against gun control and is a hunter.

• Huckabee supports the death penalty.

• Huckabee has voiced his support of creationism. He was quoted in July 2004 on Arkansans Ask, his regular show on the Arkansas Educational Television Network: "I think that students also should be given exposure to the theories not only of evolution but to the basis of those who believe in creationism." Huckabee also stated "I do not necessarily buy into the traditional Darwinian theory, personally." In the Third GOP Debate in June 2007, Huckabee was asked by Tom Fahey whether he believed in evolution, and he responded, in part: "I believe there is a God who was active in the creation process. Now, how did he do it, and when did he do it, and how long did he take? I don’t honestly know, and I don’t think knowing that would make me a better or a worse president." Huckabee's position is that acceptance of evolution is not relevant to being President.

• Huckabee supports the War in Iraq and the troop surge.

• Huckabee has expressed concern that Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a distraction from the Global War on Terror. Previously, he stated, "[Guantanamo is] more symbolic than it is a substantive issue because people perceive of mistreatment when in fact there are extraordinary means being taken to make sure these detainees are being given really every consideration".

• Huckabee endorsed the use of foreign workers from Canada and Mexico for agricultural labor, opposed aspects of the McCain/Kennedy immigration bill and believes the United States' number one priority should be to secure America's borders. However, Huckabee supports a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. He said of the border, "Police it, absolutely. Militarize it, no." Huckabee supports increases in visas for skilled workers.

• Huckabee supports the FairTax as a replacement for the current tax system.

• Huckabee supports increasing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) from $15 billion to $30 billion over five years. He also supports more funding to fight tuberculosis and malaria.

• In a 1992 statement, Huckabee advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general population. In 2007, Huckabee no longer advocates such an isolation, but he stands by his earlier view, saying that in 1992 "there was still a great deal of, I think, uncertainty about just how widespread AIDS was, how it could be transmitted. So we know more now than we did in 1992, all of us do -- hopefully." However, by 1992 it was well known that HIV/AIDS could not be spread by casual contact. In the same statement, Huckabee also opposed increasing federal funding for HIV/AIDS research and suggested that Hollywood celebrities should provide additional funds instead. Huckabee now supports additional funding for HIV/AIDS research.

• In 1992, Huckabee said that "homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk." In 2007, his view that homosexuality is sinful and not normal has not changed.

Books

Huckabee has authored or co-authored several books:

• Character is the Issue: How People With Integrity Can Revolutionize America (1997), a memoir (inspired by the crisis surrounding the incidents prior to his taking office as governor)
• Kids Who Kill (1998), a book about juvenile violence (inspired by the Jonesboro massacre, which took place during his tenure as governor)
• Living Beyond Your Lifetime (2000), a guide for leaving a personal legacy
• Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork (2005), a health and exercise inspirational guide (based on his personal health experience) Publisher: Center Street
• From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 Stops to Restoring America's Greatness (2007) Publisher: Center Street
• Huckabee also wrote the foreword to My Story Your Story His Story (2006) by Larry Toller
• Character Makes a Difference: Where I'm From, Where I've Been, and What I Believe, by Mike Huckabee (2007)

See also

• Arkansas gubernatorial election, 2006

External links

Official sites

• Official Campaign Website
  • Official Forum
  • Official Biography
  • Blog
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • MySpace
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • Flickr
  • Truth Squad

Documentaries, topic pages and databases

• Follow the Money — Mike Huckabee campaign contributions for the 2002 Governor race
• New York Times — Mike Huckabee News news stories and commentary
• On the Issues — Mike Huckabee issue positions and quotes
• Project Vote Smart - Mike Huckabee voter information
• Genealogy of Mike Huckabee
• Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture - Mike Huckabee
• Mike Huckabee at Curlie