Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, will make an announcement about his role in the 2012 presidential campaign on his Fox News program tomorrow evening.
“Governor Huckabee will announce tomorrow night on his program whether or not he intends to explore a presidential bid,” said Woody Fraser, executive producer of the former governor’s television show that airs on Fox News every weekend night at 8 p.m.
Several of Huckabee’s senior political aides believe the former governor will opt out of the race.
Veteran Republican strategist Ed Rollins, who managed Ronald Reagan’s 1984 reelection campaign and has served as Huckabee’s top political adviser, said in an interview Friday that he seriously doubts that the former governor will enter the race.
“I have no idea,” said Rollins, who served as Huckabee’s campaign manager in 2008. The fact that Huckabee‘s closest political advisors have been kept in the dark about his decision, added Rollins, “is pretty indicative that he‘s not going to run.”
Huckabee, however, created some suspense later in the day on Friday during an interview with Fox News’ Neil Cavuto, suggesting that anbody who claims to know his decision is speaking out of turn.
“You’re gonna hear people who act like they know all about it and they don’t,” he told Cavuto.
While his national plans remain unknown, Huckabee, who’s building a $3 million beach house in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, seems eager to become involved in politics in his adopted state. Yesterday, he endorsed Senate President Mike Haridopolos in next year’s GOP U.S. Senate primary.
In 2008, Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses, upsetting frontrunner Mitt Romney, and finished a distant third in New Hampshire before losing narrowly to John McCain in the critical South Carolina primary. He finished fourth in Florida, behind McCain, Romney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Never really able to broaden his appeal by shedding his conservative evangelical image, the unorthodox, guitar-playing candidate withdrew from the race on March 4, but not before amassing several hundred delegates to the Republican national convention.
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