| Mike Huckabee | |
| |
| 46th Governor of Florida | |
| Assumed office January 1st, 2019 | |
| Lt. Governor | Joe Negron |
| Preceded by | Rick Scott |
| 44th Governor of Arkansas | |
| In office July 15, 1996 – January 9, 2007 | |
| Lt. Governor | Winthrop Paul Rockefeller |
| Preceded by | Jim Guy Tucker |
| Succeeded by | Mike Beebe |
| 16th 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 |
| Biography | |
| Born | August 24, 1955 (age 66) Hope, Arkansas |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican Party |
| Spouse | Janet McCain |
| Alma mater | Ouachita Baptist University (BA) Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary |
| Occupation: | Politician Minister |
| Religion: | Southern Baptist |
Michael Dale Huckabee (born August 24, 1955) is an American politician, Christian minister, author, editorialist, and commentator who served as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. Since 2019, Huckabee has served as the 46th Governor of Florida. He was a candidate in the Republican presidential primaries in both 2008 and 2016.
Huckabee won the gubernatorial election against Democratic nominee Andrew Gillum and Libertarian nominee Nancy Argenziano. He was sworn in as the 45th Governor of Florida on January 1st, 2019, making him the first person since Sam Houston elected to serve as Governor of two different states.
Pastoral Career[]
While Huckabee was pastor of Beech Street First Baptist Church in Texarkana, Arkansas, from 1986 to 1992, he became the youngest president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, a job that helped prompt him to think about switching from pastoring to politics.
In a 2007 interview, Huckabee said:
"I think it’s the greatest preparation that a person can have for public service. “Somebody says they want to talk about the issue of the elderly, I’ve dealt with those folks. I’ve dealt with a 14-year-old girl who’s pregnant and hasn’t told her parents yet. I’ve talked to the young couple who are head over heels in debt. ... I think it gives you a real perspective about people and what they’re going through that’s important.”
Arkansas Politics[]
Lieutenant Governor[]
In 1992, then-Governor Bill Clinton was elected President of the United States, leaving the seat of Governor of Arkansas vacant. Then-lieutenant governor Jim Guy Tucker assumed the governorship; Huckabee won the special election to succeed him, and he served as Lieutenant Governor from 1993 to 1996. His term was cut short in 1996 when Governor Tucker resigned due to being convicted of one count of conspiracy and one count of mail fraud, leaving Huckabee to assume the position of Governor.
Governor of Arkansas[]
Taxes[]
As Governor of Arkansas, Huckabee cut taxes almost 100 times, balanced the budget every year, and left Arkansas with an almost $1 billion surplus. He was also the first Governor of Arkansas to pass a broad-based tax cut in the history of the state.
However, in late 1996, Huckabee campaigned for ballot Amendment 1, a plan to adjust property tax rules to make school funding more equal across the state, and Amendment 2, a constitutional amendment increasing the state sales tax 0.125 percent to improve 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. The amendments passed by 52% and 51% majorities, respectively.
Healthcare and Child Welfare[]
As Governor of Arkansas, Huckabee signed legislation to create a health insurance program which extended coverage to children of lower-income families - ARKids First - to be funded in part by Medicaid, SCHIP, and a tobacco industry lawsuit settlement. The program, reduced the number of uninsured children to 9% by 2003, compared to 12% for the nation as a whole.
Huckabee signed the Child Welfare Agency Licensing Act in 1997, allowing This bill has provisions which allow religious groups to contract for social services with the state without having to compromise their stated principles.
Presidential Politics[]
2008 Presidential Campaign[]
On January 28th, 2007, Governor Huckabee announced his candidacy the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Despite initially low fundraising and polling numbers, Huckabee's campaign gained significant attention when he won the Iowa caucuses in January, 2008, earning roughly 34% of the vote, compared to 25% for Mitt Romney and only 13% for John McCain. Huckabee's victory was largely propelled by his popularity among and connection to Evangelical Christian voters.
After Iowa, Huckabee went on to win six other states in the Republican primary contests - Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Kansas, Tennessee, and his home state of Arkansas - earning a total of 240 pledged delegates. However, this was ultimately insufficient to propel him to victory. On March 4th, 2008 Huckabee conceded the Republican primary contest to John McCain, after McCain had secured the number of delegates necessary to win the Republican Party's nomination
2016 Presidential Campaign[]
See Also: Republican Party Presidential Primaries, 2016 (The More Things Changed)
Huckabee officially announced his second presidential run in his hometown of Hope, Ark., on May 5, 2015. After describing his early life in the town, he declared:
"So it seems perfectly fitting that it would be here that I announce that I am a candidate for president of the United States of America."
Failing to gain the traction that propelled his 2008 campaign, Huckabee suspended his campaign on February 1st, 2016, the day of the Iowa caucuses.
2018 Florida Gubernatorial Campaign[]
Residency[]
In 2011, Huckabee commissioned a three million dollar residence in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. His residency sparked rumors that he would seek office in the state.Speaking to the Arkansas Times, he said that the change of address was not politically motivated:
“Political aspirations were not a factor in the move. People try to read more into it than there is. Growing up as I did in Hope, Arkansas, it was a dream to do something like this. Living here is a dream. Our first place as young marrieds was a $40-a-month duplex, which was probably overpriced. And since I am in Manhattan weekly, it is slightly easier to get there from here with the new airport. Now if we could just get non-stop flights to New York, it would make my wife very happy.”
Endorsements[]
| Mike Huckabee for Governor | |
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Governor of Florida (2019)[]
Disaster Preparedness[]
Huckabee has stated that the state government's response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria were partially "saved by luck" and could have been more decisive. He has proposed placing the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which oversees disaster preparedness in the state, under the direct oversight of the Governor.
Cuban Policy[]
Huckabee is firmly opposed to the foreign policies of the Clinton administration, particularly in regards to Cuba; he has claimed that the Cuban government has launched "sonic attacks" on the US Embassy in Havana, and has opposed any attempts to further thaw or normalize relations between the two countries. Huckabee had promised that if elected, he would prevent Florida-registered boats from traveling to Cuba, and impose strict fines on anyone who attempts to do so.
Shortly after being sworn in on January 1st, 2019, he stated that he was looking into his legal options to follow through on his campaign promise. Attorney General Jennifer Granholm dismissed this pledge as infringing on federal policy. In the case Havana Ferry Partners v. Huckabee, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that Florida was allowed to impose fees on Cuba-bound vessels.
COVID-19 Pandemic[]
Epidemiologists have given mixed reviews of Huckabee's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Huckabee's handling of COVID-19 in Florida was initially unpopular among the state's voters, but as efforts to mitigate the pandemic became seen as a national partisan issue, his reluctance to impose restrictions in response to the pandemic led to an increase in approval among Republican voters. By August 2021, amid a record in new cases within the state, Florida become the state with the highest per capita hospitalizations for COVID-19.