Huckabee's Homefront Troubles
National observers watching Mike Huckabee's rise might assume that he has the Arkansas Republican Primary all wrapped up. He doesn't. The Huckabee campaign is having some trouble on the homefront, and it is getting embarrassing for him.
First, a U of A poll showed he and Rudy tied with 8% of the vote statewide, while Hillary! pulled in 35%. All of those are well-known names in the state without significant room for growth in support. Then, in an effort to counter efforts from conservatives in his own state (who are telling everyone who will listen that Huckabee is not a conservative and left the state party in a shambles), the Huckabee campaign issued a list of "prominent Republicans in Arkansas who Support Mike Huckabee".
The list had less than half the current sitting Republican legislators on it. True it had the names of the three former Republican federal legislators on it, but it was very telling that the guys from the state ledge, who actually had to work with Huckabee, are so reluctant to get on board.
Worse, the list seems padded with no-names and people who have not really endorsed Huckabee. Senator Shawn Womack (the list mistakenly listed him as "Shane". Ouch) said he was running for a judicial position and could not endorse anyone. Former Rep. Sarah Agee works for Mike Bebee now, and has asked that her name be removed from the list. Another fellow that was a state Rep. was listed as a Senator. Some held no political office at all, such as the widow of former Lt. Governor Winn Rockefeller.
The list was a response to the fact that many people were starting to notice that Huckabee did not have a lot of endorsements among the key group "Republican state legislators that served during his administration". So he releases this list, but the list was weak and filled with errors.
Competitor Fred Thompson, when asked about Huckabee, said he was a "pro-life liberal". In fairness, he is a fairly pro-life, and pro-marriage liberal, but the point is that Thompson got that message by listening to what conservatives in this state are saying. The word is getting out and Mike Huckabee will increasingly have to deal with it. His main advantage- most of the rest of them have their own problems.
*get the names from the list on the jump*
First, a U of A poll showed he and Rudy tied with 8% of the vote statewide, while Hillary! pulled in 35%. All of those are well-known names in the state without significant room for growth in support. Then, in an effort to counter efforts from conservatives in his own state (who are telling everyone who will listen that Huckabee is not a conservative and left the state party in a shambles), the Huckabee campaign issued a list of "prominent Republicans in Arkansas who Support Mike Huckabee".
The list had less than half the current sitting Republican legislators on it. True it had the names of the three former Republican federal legislators on it, but it was very telling that the guys from the state ledge, who actually had to work with Huckabee, are so reluctant to get on board.
Worse, the list seems padded with no-names and people who have not really endorsed Huckabee. Senator Shawn Womack (the list mistakenly listed him as "Shane". Ouch) said he was running for a judicial position and could not endorse anyone. Former Rep. Sarah Agee works for Mike Bebee now, and has asked that her name be removed from the list. Another fellow that was a state Rep. was listed as a Senator. Some held no political office at all, such as the widow of former Lt. Governor Winn Rockefeller.
The list was a response to the fact that many people were starting to notice that Huckabee did not have a lot of endorsements among the key group "Republican state legislators that served during his administration". So he releases this list, but the list was weak and filled with errors.
Competitor Fred Thompson, when asked about Huckabee, said he was a "pro-life liberal". In fairness, he is a fairly pro-life, and pro-marriage liberal, but the point is that Thompson got that message by listening to what conservatives in this state are saying. The word is getting out and Mike Huckabee will increasingly have to deal with it. His main advantage- most of the rest of them have their own problems.
*get the names from the list on the jump*
7 Comments:
§ Bud Cummins – Former U.S. Attorney
§ John Paul Hammerschmidt – Former U.S. Congressman
§ Asa Hutchinson – Former U.S. Congressman
§ Tim Hutchinson – Former U.S. Senator
§ Jay Dickey – Former U.S. Congressman
§ Betty Dickey – Former Chief Justice of Ark. Supreme Court
§ John Boozman – U.S. Congressman
§Dennis Milligan – Arkansas Republican Party Chairman
§ Gay White – Former First Lady of Arkansas
Lisenne Rockefeller – Widow of the Late Lt. Governor Win Rockefeller
Jim Burnett – Republican National Committeeman & Former NTSB Chairman
Reta Hamilton – Republican National Committeewoman
Phyllis Kincannon – Arkansas Republican Party Activist
Prissy Hickerson – Former Arkansas HighwayCommissioner
Doyle Webb – Former State Senator
Barbara Webb – Former Saline County Prosecutor
Phil Wyrick – Former State Senator
Carolyn Pollen – Former State Representative
Gilbert Baker – State Senator
Ruth Whitaker – State Senator
Sharon Trusty – State Senator
Denny Altes – State Senator
Bill Pritchard – State Senator
Michael Lamoureux –State Representative and House Minority Leader
Mark Martin – State Representative
Jim Medley – State Representative
Frank Glidewell – State Representative
Bryan King – State Representative
Beverly Pyle – State Representative
Rick Green –Sate Representative
Mary Beth Green – Former State Representative
David Haak – Former State Representative
Doug Matayo – Former State Representative
Sarah Agee – Former State Representative
Hoyt Johnson – Former State Representative
Marvin Childers – Former State Representative
Andy Mayberry – Former U.S. Representative Candidate
Joyce Campbell – Former State Rep. Candidate
Chee Chee Tamburo – Former State Rep. Candidate
Wayne Bowen – Justice of the Peace
Carol Lester – Arkansas County Chairman
Mark Dye – Scott County GOP Chairman
Ladon Copelin – GOP Party Activist
Bernard Mize – Polk County Chair
Billie Sue Hoggard – Former State Representative Candidate
Most of them are no surprise. Most are either hacks who would endorse satan to gain a better footing in the party, or they're non-partisans who don't really care one way or the other.
Anony,
Don't you think that you are painting with a little too broad of a brush there?
It's one thing if you don't support a candidate, that's fine, but there are several on that list that I know personally & even more that are well known by friends and I can tell you they don't deserve that kind of demonization.
ha ha, the mud slinging has started. Goggles on!
c.b., I agree. I was too harsh in writing that. I don't like Huckabee, and a Huckabee president scares me, but it goes beyond the bounds of civility to personally attack his supporters.
We've all done it..... When you're passionate about something it's easy to say something you don't mean or that sounds worse than you meant for it to.
Kudos for the retraction.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pLOC4krZI4
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