Huckabee releases campaigner list

Strategy of ’16 presidential run builds in Southern states

Former Arkansas governor and 2016 presidential aspirant Mike Huckabee announced that members of Congress and several state legislators are members of his "leadership teams" aimed at bolstering his chances in several Southern state primaries.

On Monday, Huckabee listed the former governor of Georgia, Sonny Perdue, as well as Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson as chairmen of his election committees and said their leadership was a sign of solid organizational support among Southern Republicans.

All of Arkansas' constitutional officers except state Auditor Andrea Lea were also on the list, as well as three of the state's four congressmen and U.S. Sen. John Boozman. U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Dardanelle, and U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, a Republican from Rogers, weren't included.

The announcement also listed congressmen from Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee -- states that also have March 1 presidential primaries.

The event has been dubbed the "SEC primary" because many of the participating states have university athletic teams in the Southeastern Conference.

"Brick by brick, we have a strong grass-roots team that is swelling across the country that will power us through the Republican primary," Huckabee said in a statement. "The early SEC primary elections are a key plank to our campaign strategy, and I look forward to campaigning in Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and other critically important Southern states."

Huckabee, who now lives in northern Florida, fared well in Southern states the last time he ran, carrying Arkansas plus Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Louisiana in 2008.

He also won the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses that year. This year, polls show him trailing there.

Hal Bass, a professor of political science specializing in Southern politics at Ouachita Baptist University, said Monday's announcement was a signal that Huckabee would be a "major player" in the March 1 primaries and also showed that, despite poll numbers, Huckabee is still competitive.

"He's not been polling as well in Iowa though it's still early," Bass said. "He wants to signal his campaign is alive and well, those polls notwithstanding."

Of the 49 names announced between the four states, 19 of them were Arkansas legislators.

Bass said that the number of committed Arkansas lawmakers should be no surprise. Huckabee served as Arkansas' governor from 1996 to 2007.

"A lot of the current officeholders got their careers underway in the '90s and early 2000s. In essence, he's calling in markers for the assistance and favors he did them in the past," Bass said. "He's going to discourage other candidates from competing on his own turf ... but there are signs that Arkansas Republican voters may be looking elsewhere for options, as well. He's tried to signal that he's got the elites."

Huckabee's campaign released this statement from Hutchinson: "'Mike Huckabee was a Republican governor when Arkansas was as blue as any state in the nation. He had to govern in a bipartisan way. He led our state with conviction. He led our state with conservative values,' Hutchinson said. 'He was a great leader of Arkansas, and he did it by reaching out to the other side and saying 'join me.' That is the type of leadership we need on the national stage.'"

Sen. Alan Clark, R-Lonsdale, a longtime Huckabee supporter, was named to Huckabee's state legislative committee.

"I think he'll do well in Arkansas," Clark said. "But I don't think anyone can take anything for granted at this point."

Asked for comment Monday, Lea, the state auditor, issued a statement saying, "Like many Arkansans I continue to analyze the field to determine who is best suited to lead our country."

Metro on 09/29/2015

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