2008 Presidential Campaign Blog

Gov. Mike Huckabee Announces Minnesota Campaign

Gov. Mike Huckabee Announces Minnesota Campaign
Ron Carey to serve as Minnesota Huckabee Chair

St. Paul - Minnesotans for Huckabee is today launching a campaign to take Governor Huckabee’s message of Middle America values to the voters of Minnesota.  State Republican Chairman, Ron Carey, has agreed to spearhead his efforts in Minnesota by serving in the role of volunteer State Chair.

“Governor Huckabee brings a strong record of conservative leadership that is igniting enthusiasm across this country” Carey said.  As Minnesotans re introduced to Mike Huckabee, they will see that he offers our Party the best chance of awakening voters to our common sense principles of limited government, lower taxes, and strong families.

A growing list of leaders are joining the Huckabee campaign in Minnesota including former state senate Republican and Minnesota Business Partnership Executive Director, Duane Benson, former Bush/Cheney ‘04 Minnesota press secretary, Peter Hong; /Cheney ‘04 Minnesota farm and Ranch Chairman, Dave Ladd; faith and family movement leader, Gary Borgendale; St. Paul School Board member Tom Conlon; Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators (MACHE) leader, Pastor David Watkins; Republican Judicial Task Force Chairman, Bonn Clayton; former Representative Paul Gazelka; and former Quie administrationstaff member, Mark Vukelich.

 

Mike Huckabee At Last Night's Presidential Debate In The Granite State

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MIKE HUCKABEE DELIVERS COMMANDING PERFORMANCE DURING LAST NIGHT'S DEBATE

MANCHESTER, NH - Republican Presidential front-runner Mike Huckabee fueled his growing momentum last night with yet another strong presidential debate performance in the Granite State.

The former Arkansas governor, who won a decisive come-from-behind victory at the Iowa Republican Caucuses Thursday, reiterated the driving themes of his campaign: family, freedom and faith. 

Huckabee, who is campaigning in New Hampshire with Chuck Norris at events leading up to the Jan. 8 primary, said his positive message for America's future is energizing Republicans, Independents and moderate Democrats to get behind his candidacy. "We must embrace a message of change. We must become a party of unity," he said Saturday.

"We must be for something - not against - or we won't be the party in the White House," he said.

Huckabee, who was a staunch supporter of the 2001 and 2003 Bust tax cuts and other conservative initiatives, said: "I worked really hard to get the president elected, but I am not running for his third term, I am running for president on my own terms."

Huckabee, who advocates enactment of the Fair Tax - and insists on free and fair trade, said government must help unleash the creativity of individuals, including small business owners and entrepreneurs, instead of "regulating and taxing innovation."

Huckabee, a consistent, conservative leader in the Republican presidential field, said: "The greatest principle is that every American and every human being is equal to each other - that sense that all of us have an innate essence of equality and that these rights are inalienable."

Huckabee said "our principles reflect what is deep inside us that can guide us and show the framework of what we will do."

Huckabee also said a strong America is critical to our nation's future. "We're going to do what's best for the American people. I will always do what is best for our country - to make sure our country is the strongest and most prepared."

When we do go to war, he said, "we will have an army we need - we will have a clear definition of what we want to do, and we won't let politicians make the ground calls."

Recognizing the serious threat of radical Islamic terrorists to America, Huckabee said that the United States did nothing to prompt their attack "other than the fact that we live and breathe." However, we must do everything in our power to protect America, including eliminating U.S. dependence on foreign oil within 10 years.

"This is an urgent matter and one of our utmost priorities. We have an issue where we are paying for both sides of the war on terror," he said. "We cannot allow dictators from Venezuela and the Middle East to hold us hostage every time we swipe our credit cards at the gas pump. We must be energy independent within the next ten years." 

On the domestic front, Huckabee also said that a major key to solving our nation's health care crisis is through prevention.  The health care system in this country is irrevocably broken, in part because it is only a "health care" system, not a "health" system.

"We don't need universal health care mandated by federal edict or funded through ever-higher taxes. We do need to get serious about preventive health care instead of chasing more and more dollars to treat chronic disease, which currently gobbles up 80% of our health care costs, and yet is often avoidable. The result is that we'll be able to deliver better care where and when it's needed."

Mike Huckabee Mason City Iowa Photos

Mike Huckabee 2 New TV Ads "Our Values" And "Tax Cuts Matter"

Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee Launches New Television Ads in Iowa, New Hampshire
Campaign Ads Underscore Gov. Huckabee's Conservative Record, Positive Vision for America

Little Rock, AR - Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee launched two new 30-second television ads in Iowa Monday, "Our Values" and "Tax Cuts Matter." 

"Our Values" emphasizes Huckabee's conservative record of proven leadership as governor of Arkansas and commitment to issues related to life, family and freedom.  The second television ad, "Tax Cuts Matter," which highlights his fiscally-conservative record, is airing in Iowa and New Hampshire.

"The purpose of these ads is to highlight the things that truly matter - while underscoring my conservative record of leadership and my vision for America moving forward," said Huckabee. 

"As we enter the closing days of the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses, there are a lot of things being said on television and sent to mailboxes across the Hawkeye state. I urge Iowans to look beyond the rhetoric and seek the truth about my record and optimistic plans for our nation's future.  It is critical that we have an American president who understands our values, and has the experience and knowledge to guide us forward. I believe I am the best candidate for the job, and I'll continue to ask the good people of Iowa for their vote on January 3rd," he said.

Following are scripts of each ad:

"Our Values":30 TV

Gov. Huckabee on Camera: "I'm Mike Huckabee and I approve this message."

Gov. Huckabee on Camera and Voice-over Footage of Gov. Huckabee with Iowans:
"The pro-life position was the one espoused by our Founding Fathers when they said that all of us are created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights. The first one they listed was life.  Nobody has a greater level of intrinsic worth or value than another person.  Being unborn doesn't make you less valuable. Maybe instead of having our values trampled all over every single day and night, we would express to America what those values are:  family, life, freedom - those things matter to us.  Always has, always will."
 
"Tax Cuts Matter":30 TV

Gov. Huckabee on Camera and Voice-over Graphics: "In a hundred and sixty years in Arkansas , we'd never really had a broad-based, wide-spread tax cut.  I was able to sign the first ever.  The economic policies that we did in my state, cutting taxes, streamlining government, resulted in the largest number of job creations.  I cut taxes over 90 times. Balanced the budget every year I was governor.  Left a surplus of nearly a billion dollars, and did it in the face of an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature.  That's a pretty good record."

Footage of Gov. Huckabee Shaking Hands with Large Crowd of Supporters:
"I'm Mike Huckabee and I approve this message."

Mike Huckabee Spreads Christmas Cheer With Record-Setting Ad

Mike Huckabee Spreads Christmas Cheer with Record-Setting Ad

Little Rock, AR – A new television advertisement called “What Really Matters” featuring former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee has already received more than a half million viewer hits in less than 36 hours, setting a campaign record.

The 30-second ad began running in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Iowa yesterday. It is featured on the Huckabee presidential campaign Web-site (www.mikehuckabee.com) and has been widely viewed on YouTube.

In the new ad, Governor Huckabee asks: “Are you about worn out by all the television commercials you've been seeing, mostly about politics? Well, I don't blame you.”

He then states: “At this time of year, sometimes it’s nice to pull aside from all of that and just remember that what really matters is the celebration of the birth of Christ and being with our family and friends. And I hope that you and your friends will have a magnificent Christmas season.”

Huckabee closes the ad with: “And on behalf of all of us, God Bless and Merry Christmas. I'm Mike Huckabee and I approved this message.”

The ad, which has been characterized as a “video Christmas card,” was the second-most viewed video on YouTube today, receiving 669,200 views in 48 hours. Already, “What Really Matters” has outpaced another popular campaign ad featuring Huckabee with actor Chuck Norris. That ad, “Chuck Norris Approved,” has had 1,200,868 views since its release in November.

Mike Huckabee At The Des Moines Register Republican Presidential Debate

Mike Huckabee Triumphs At Republican Presidential Debate

Johnston, IA – Former Arkansas Governor and Republican Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee scored major points Wednesday during the Des Moines Register’s Republican Presidential Debate in Johnston, Iowa – the final debate before the January 3rd Iowa Caucus.

"My first priority is to bring our country together again. We are a polarized country, which has led to having a paralyzed government,” said Huckabee. “We are fighting each other – but who is fighting for this country?”

“We need to stop fighting among ourselves – and put the interests of the people above our own. We need to be the united people of the United States. The job of the President is to somehow remind us that we are a great, resilient nation that has to work together to solve all of these problems,” he said.

On topics ranging from education reform to health care and energy and the environment, Huckabee outlined a results-driven agenda that reflects his optimistic vision for America.

Huckabee, who served as governor of Arkansas for 10 ½ years, said he had “the most experience of anyone on the stage and an impressive record" on education. "We raised standards. We measured and held people accountable for results.”

While the primary responsibility for education is with the states, Huckabee said the federal government can play a “pivotal role by making sure that the best practices of what is working in the states gets to those states that are struggling.

“Any time you give governors the opportunity to know what works, they’ll use it because it creates jobs and economic development," he said.

Huckabee also asserted that a primary job of the President, besides being Commander-in- Chief, is to be “Communicator-in-Chief.” As President, Huckabee said he would use the bully pulpit to reform education.

“For a President to say it’s none of my business is recklessly irresponsible,” he said.

Noting that 6,000 students drop out of school every day and one-third of high school students do not graduate, he said “it is unacceptable that so many kids leave our schools every single day.”

Calling himself a passionate advocate of including music and the arts instruction as part of all students’ curriculum to increase creativity, he said: “We need to unleash what I call the ‘weapons of mass instruction’

During the debate, Huckabee affirmed that America’s mounting national debt is indeed a national security issue. “A country is not free if it can't produce three things for itself – its own food, its own fuel, and its own fighting apparatus. If we can’t do those three things, our national security is very much at risk,” said Huckabee.

Huckabee also stated that America’s health care system is “upside down.” When 80 percent of the two trillion dollars we spend on health care goes to chronic diseases, “if we don't focus on prevention, we'll never catch up," Huckabee said.

Regarding federal tax policy, Huckabee asserted that over 80 percent of the Americans believe the tax code is unfair. “That’s why we need the Fair Tax,” he said.

When asked, Huckabee said he supported market-based efforts to combat climate change. Whether humans are responsible for the bulk of climate change or not, he said the “reason that this issue should be important is that we don’t own this earth, we are stewards. We’ve done no harm if we take better care of this planet so it is in better shape for future generations when we give it back.”

Des Moines Register Debate Mike Huckabee Photo

Mike Huckabee To Participate in GOP Presidential Debate Today

Mike Huckabee To Participate in GOP Presidential Debate Today

LITTLE ROCK, AR – Former Arkansas Governor and Republican Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee will participate in the Des Moines Register’s Republican Presidential Debate today beginning at 1:00 p.m. C.T. / 2:00 p.m. ET. The debate will take place at Iowa Public Television's Maytag Auditorium in Johnston, Iowa.

The 90-minute GOP debate will be broadcast live on CNN, featured on FOX News Network and statewide Iowa Public Television and will be re-broadcast at a later time on IPTV. The program will also be offered to public television stations across the country.

“I am honored to participate in yet another debate to discuss my optimistic vision for America’s future, which builds upon my proven record of leadership and results as governor of Arkansas,” said Huckabee. “I look forward to addressing issues of importance to Iowa Republicans, and to voters across the country.”

Governor Huckabee will be joined by the following surrogates in the post-debate Media Spin Room:
Jim Gilchrist, 2004 founder of the Minuteman Project
Bob Feller, Cleveland Indians pitching legend Bob “The Heater from Van Meter” and Hall of Famer inductee
Chip Saltsman, National Campaign Manager, Huckabee for President, Inc.
Robert L. "Bob" Vander Plaats, Iowa Chairman, Huckabee for President, Inc.
Danny Carroll, Iowa Co-Chairman, Huckabee for President, Inc.
Dr. Charmaine Yoest, Sr. Advisor, Huckabee for President, Inc.

Mike Huckabee Advocates “Secure Borders” In New TV Ad

Mike Huckabee Advocates “Secure Borders” In New TV Ad
Former Governor Says No to Amnesty, Yes to Secure Borders in New Spot

Little Rock, AR – Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee said today that a new television ad, called “Secure Borders,” will help Iowa voters understand his plan to secure America ’s borders.

“It ought to be at least as difficult to get across an international border as it is to get on an airplane in our own home town,” said Huckabee in the ad, echoing a sentiment he often expresses on the campaign trail.
 
The new 30-second ad, unveiled Monday, will begin airing in Iowa .  Huckabee said the ad focuses on his No. priority, which is to seal America ’s borders. The former governor unveiled a nine-point plan to reform U.S. immigration laws last week.  Huckabee’s “Nine-Point Strategy for Immigration Enforcement and Border Security” provides a tough, equitable and comprehensive approach to dealing with the current immigration crisis.
 
The plan implements a broad-based strategy that commits the resources of the federal government to the enforcement of our immigration laws and results in the attrition of the illegal immigrant population.
 
The spot (his fourth in Iowa ) also reiterates Huckabee’s opposition to amnesty. “We need to make it clear that we’ll say no to amnesty and sanctuary cities.” said Huckabee.

Huckabee Announces Formation Of Iowa Pastors Coalition

Huckabee Announces Endorsement of Tim and Beverly LaHaye, Iowa Family Values Activist Chuck Hurley & Formation of Iowa Pastors Coalition

Des Moines, IA – Flanked by several dozen members of the Iowa clergy, Republican Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee today announced his campaign’s Iowa Pastors Coalition, the endorsement of Iowa family values leader Chuck Hurley and the support of nationally known religious leader Tim LaHaye and his spouse, Beverly LaHaye, who founded Concerned Women of America.

“I'm honored to have the support and encouragement from this fine group of faith leaders,” Huckabee said. “We share a commitment to preserving life, strengthening families and making this country a better place for all Americans.”

Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas who now leads the polls in Iowa and has vaulted to second place in national polls, also announced the support of Luana Stoltenberg, a Davenport pro-life activist.

Hurley, the president of the Iowa Family Policy Center, is a former state legislator who has devoted his career to strengthening Iowa’s families by championing traditional values. “I’m humbled and honored to support such a fine man for such a vital office at this vital time,” said Hurley, who noted the endorsement was a personal one and not on behalf of the IFPC.

Stoltenberg has been involved with Crisis Pregnancy Center in the Quad Cities. She also has been a board member and spokesperson for the Life and Family Coalition. A former supporter of Sen. Sam Brownback’s presidential effort, Stoltenberg is active in Operation Outcry: Silent No More.

Huckabee said he welcomed the support as candidates continue to battle for support as the Iowa caucuses are just 30 days away.

The LaHayes are prominent national leaders who have provided a strong moral compass for America. “During the 25 years I have known Mike Huckabee, he has proven himself to be a Christian conservative who stands without apology for the pro-life, pro-marriage platform that is so important in this time of moral collapse,” Tim LaHaye said.

Beverly LaHaye said, “I support Mike Huckabee because he is genuinely pro-life – true to Biblical morality – a man of absolute faith in God and courageous enough to try to do something to bring America back to its foundation.”

For 25 years, Tim LaHaye pastored one of the nation's outstanding churches in San Diego, Calif., which grew to three locations. It was during this time he also founded two accredited Christian high schools, a school system of 10 Christian schools, San Diego Christian College and assisted Dr. Henry Morris in the founding of the Institute for Creation Research, the nation’s foremost exponent of creationist materials. LaHaye has written more than 50 non-fiction books on a wide range of subjects such as family life, Bible prophecy, the will of God, Jesus Christ, and secular humanism. His books have been translated into 32 languages, with more than 13 million in print.

Beverly LaHaye is chairman of the board and founder of Concerned Women for America. The LaHayes have been married for over 55 years and live in southern California. They have four grown children, nine grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.

Speaking on behalf of the pastors coalition, Pastor Brad Sherman of the Solid Rock Christian Church, Coralville, said he endorsed Huckabee because he was “first struck by, not only his position on the issues, but his skill at communicating his position in way that made sense.”

Sherman added, “Then I noted that he is governed by principle, not by the direction of the political breeze. He holds the same positions today that he did yesterday. That is a solid indicator where will stand tomorrow. This nation badly needs Mike Huckabee in the White House.”