Huckabee picks up speed
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee got a bump in the polls this week after a second-place finish at the Values Voters Summitt over the weekend, behind Mitt Romney. Huckabee is "outrunning" the other second-tier candidates, said Scot Lehigh i
What happened
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee got a bump in the polls this week after a second-place finish at the Values Voters Summitt over the weekend, behind Mitt Romney. Huckabee, a Baptist minister, also received an unqualified endorsement from columnist and martial arts expert Chuck Norris further cemented Huckabee’s support from social conservatives.
What the commentators said
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Huckabee is “outrunning” his second-tier rivals, said Scot Lehigh in The Boston Globe (free registration), and, suddenly, the first-tier is in sight. Jim Gilmore, Tommy Thompson, and now Sam Brownback are gone, and a new Rassmussen poll shows Huckabee tied with Fred Thompson in second place in Iowa, close behind front-runner Mitt Romney. Huckabee is “winning notice” because he’s “down to earth and likable,” an “engaging speaker,” and “seems more aware than his Republican rivals that the economy isn't working for everyone.”
Brownback’s departure is giving Huckabee a nudge, said Jonathan V. Last in the Sacramento Bee, but he “isn’t going to win the nomination.” Still, “Huckabee has done a good job establishing himself as a likable, serious conservative.”
“Huckabee is still a dark horse,” said James Pinkerton in Newsday. “But he is a buzzing dark horse.” Judging by “standing ovations,” he was definitely the “hot” candidate among values voters, and that makes him the candidate with the greatest connection to the party’s grassroots.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Week contest: Swift stimulus
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
'It's hard to resist a sweet deal on a good car'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 concert tours to see this winter
The Week Recommends Keep warm traveling the United States — and the world — to see these concerts
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published