The Reports of Huckabee’s Demise Are Not True!!

Over the last day or so the media and opponents are gleefully reporting on the demise of Mike Huckabee and that he will be the next to drop out of the presidential race. They cite that he has no money left. Folks that is definitely not the case. Let’s do some quick math.

On Sunday there was the BBQ at the Chuck Norris ranch. Attendees to that event paid a $1,000 donation each. It was reported that over 200 attended the event. That’s $200,000 right there alone. Since that point there have been at least four other fundraising events in Florida and Georgia. Add to that the nearly $300,000 we have raised (almost $170,000 and climbing since Fred dropped out yesterday around 1 PM) that puts a total of online and offline fundraising at an estimated $500,000-$600,000 in 4 and a half days!

There is a big buzz around the Huckabee camp. They were planning updates to the website but high traffic after Fred’s announcement has forced them to move slower on those updates or the site would crash.

Took us a little longer than we thought. We will make the changes live tomorrow. Website was hopping with traffic today. Lots of energy building. Keep it coming.

UPDATE – Also the return of national momentum can be seen in the Rasmussen daily tracking poll. Huck hit a low on Monday of about 15% but is creeping back up to a virtual tie for 2nd with Romney. Currently it stands at McCain 24% Romney 19% and Huckabee at 17%. Rudy is back in the pack at 11%. the past two nights of polling shows Huck with a gain of 2% in the average while McCain and Romney haven’t budged. Last night was the first night that Fred was not in the poll but with it will be a few days until his numbers disappear because the poll is a an average of the past four nights. Fred is at 7% based on the prior three nights before he dropped out. We’ll find out who gets his support. Many elected officials in Georgia that supported Fred and now moving towards Huckabee (not all of them but many).

And while Mike Huckabee may not be spending as much money or time around Florida his grassroots Army will be. So don’t be surprised if Huck does better than expected on Tuesday night.

FOR IMMIDIATE RELEASE – HUCKSARMY.COM INVITES THOMPSON SUPPORTERS TO CONSIDER MIKE HUCKABEE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 22, 2008

CONTACT

Lucas Roebuck

Public Affairs, HucksArmy.com

971.832.0247

lucas@roebuckcompany.com

HUCKSARMY.COM INVITES THOMPSON SUPPORTERS TO CONSIDER HUCKABEE

Mike Huckabee has strongest pro-life and Second Amendment record

JOPLIN, Mo. — Supporters of Sen. Fred Thompson’s presidential bid should take another look at Mike Huckabee, the natural alternative for Thompson’s conservative voters. Thompson supporters looking to dialogue with Huckabee supporters can do so online in the discussion forums at HucksArmy.com, where over 14,500 Huckabee supporters meet online.

“Thompson is a great American and defender of conservative causes,” said Lucas Roebuck, HucksArmy.com Public Affairs officer. “Unlike some of the other GOP candidates, Thompson and Huckabee share common cause in defense of the Second Amendment and defense of the unborn.”

Thompson announced Tuesday that he would be dropping out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination.

As governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee received an A rating from the NRA. Mike Huckabee led the Arkansas Right to Life March every year he was governor of Arkansas.

About HucksArmy.com

With core values of faith, family and freedom, HucksArmy.com is an online grassroots movement not owned or operated by any candidate or political campaign. With over 14,000 recruits, HucksArmy.com is dedicated to mobilize support for candidates who honor God and country.

Mike Huckabee Issues Statement Regarding Fred Thompson & Duncan Hunter

Mike Huckabee has released this statement regarding the withdraws from the race by Fred Thompson & Duncan Hunter:

News Release: Gov. Mike Huckabee Comments On Thompson News

January 22, 2008

LITTLE ROCK, AR – Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee issued the following statement today:

“Today, Senator Fred Thompson announced that he will no longer seek the Republican nomination for President. I wish Fred the best.

“Fred’s decision, along with my friend Congressman Duncan Hunter’s departure from the race, narrows the presidential field. I want to thank these fine men for their contributions to the debate. Our Party, and our nation, depends upon the patriotism and dedication of men and women who get involved in the political process.

“I commend Fred and Duncan for their focus on America’s role in the world. I share their absolute conviction that the first responsibility of government is to protect the American people. Our country must prevail in our fight against radical Islamics who want to destroy us.

“As a pro-life, pro-lower tax conservative Republican, who believes in the Second amendment, I believe that one of the greatest ongoing threats to our constitutional republic is the politicization of the federal judiciary. The role of a judge is to interpret the law, not to legislate from the bench; as president, I will only appoint men and women who share this view.

“As we move forward, I’d like to ask Fred’s supporters, and Duncan’s, to join our campaign. As a true authentic conservative, I have a vision to bring hope, opportunity and prosperity to all Americans, and I welcome their support.”

My Heart Goes Out to A Friend

I wanted to post a special note this afternoon. The note is for my friend, the blogger Michigan Redneck. She is definitely a friend of me and to this blog. Not only did we blog for Huckabee (until she switched her allegiance to Fred) but we share the same taste in music as Rockabilly fans. With Fred Thompson dropping out today I am sure she is sad and my heart goes out to her. If the shoe was on the other foot today I’d be inconsolable. I want to offer my virtual hugs and support. No matter who you support we will always be friends. Please know that. Us Rockabilly fans gotta stick together.

GOOD BYE FRED!! THOMPSON ENDS PRESIDENTIAL RUN!!

Fred Thompson quits presidential race

7 minutes ago

NAPLES, Fla. – Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson quit the Republican presidential race on Tuesday, after a string of poor finishes in early primary and caucus states.

if(window.yzq_d==null)window.yzq_d=new Object(); window.yzq_d[‘JjdIxNj8YnA-‘]=’&U=13bdchvh6%2fN%3dJjdIxNj8YnA-%2fC%3d635707.12153467.12568394.1414694%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d5112564’; “Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort,” Thompson said in a statement.

Thompson’s fate was sealed last Saturday in the South Carolina primary, when he finished third in a state that he had said he needed to win.

In the statement, Thompson did not say whether he would endorse any of his former rivals. He was one of a handful of members of Congress who supported Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2000 in his unsuccessful race against George W. Bush for the party nomination.

Mike Huckabee Back On Top In Daily GOP Tracking Poll!

My oh my this has been a topsy-turvey cycle. For a little while Mike Huckabee had run at the top of the field according to the Rasmussen Daily GOP Tracking Poll. After he had displaced Rudy, there was a dead-heat after the New Year. After McCain won New Hampshire he soared to the top. As Michigan approached McCain fell back down and now after Michigan Mike Huckabee has reassumed the top spot.

Today’s tracking poll finds Mike Huckabee at 23%, John McCain at 20% Michigan winner, Mitt Romney is at 18% (and climbing), Fred Thompson sits at 12%, and Rudy is down at 11%.

I expect to see some changes in this tracking poll between now and South Carolina on Saturday. McCain’s momentum is now halted, and Romney is getting his Michigan bump. Let’s see if it continues tomorrow. What is very clear is that Huckabee’s support is more stead and strong. while everyone goes up and down the merry-go-round based on momentum.

Fasten your seat belts gang. We’ve still got a long ways to go!

McCain, Thompson, & All Democratic Candidates Fail to Sign No-Tax Pledge

McCain, Thompson, All Dems Fail to Make No-Tax Pledge

All but two GOP presidential candidates have committed to voters to oppose income tax increases WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For two decades, Americans for Tax Reform has asked all presidential and federal candidates to commit to their constituents, in writing, to oppose any and all efforts to raise income taxes. On the presidential level, every Republican nominee since Ronald Reagan has made this commitment, including President George W. Bush. In the current Congress, 42 Senators and 195 members of the House of Representatives have made this commitment, including Nevada Sen. John Ensign and Reps. Dean Heller and Jon Porter. Among the 2008 presidential field, all but two of the Republican candidates -- Sens. John McCain and Fred Thompson -- have made this commitment to the American people, while none of the Democrats have done so. Sen. McCain signed the Pledge as a candidate for president in 2000, and has signed and kept the Pledge as a Senator. 2008 Presidential Candidates Name Party Taxpayer Protection Pledge Affiliation Status Rudolph Giuliani Republican Yes* Mike Huckabee Republican Yes Duncan Hunter Republican Yes John McCain Republican No Ron Paul Republican Yes Mitt Romney Republican Yes Fred Thompson Republican No Hillary Clinton Democrat No John Edwards Democrat No Dennis Kucinich Democrat No Barack Obama Democrat No Bill Richardson Democrat No *Giuliani did not sign the Pledge per se, but has put in writing his commitment to oppose and veto all tax increases (as did George W. Bush) and ATR considers this to achieve the spirit and letter of the Pledge. Americans for Tax Reform is a non-partisan coalition of taxpayers and taxpayer groups who oppose all tax increases. For more information or toarrange an interview please contact John Kartch at jkartch@atr.org or via telephone at 202-785-0266.

Source:
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/01-16-2008/0004737930&EDATE

IT’S TOO LATE FREDDY BOY!!

Good morning everyone. Like others I was glued to the tube last night for the debate in South Carolina on Fox News. Out of all the debates this was the most animated and the least boring. We returned to the usual format and someone decided to finally wake up. Fred where ya been? So nice to see you finally decided to come to play. Some advice for you sir, You’re going to go nowhere attacking your fellow candidates like that unprovoked. When you do this it shows you have no message whatsoever. People want a leader with a positive message for this country. You have shown no respect for the process or for your fellow candidates at all whatsoever. You had a chance to debate Mike Huckabee one-on-one and your refused. You had a chance to come out swinging on the night you announced your candidacy by discussing and debating the issues with your fellow candidates in New Hampshire. Instead you chose to go on Jay Leno. Instead of providing a positive message of hope for America you have spent your entire campaign viciously attacking your rivals. Shame on you!

Best of luck to you but it’s too little too late. The people of South Carolina are not stupid. They are not going to give you a victory and guarantee that their party has a brokered convention and therefore loses next November (cause we all know the Dems are going to do everything to avoid doing that same thing). Go back to Hollywood…that’s where you belong anyway!

POLLS – Where does GOP Stand in MI, NV, SC, & FL

Okay so now that we have New Hampshire out of the way it is time to look forward at where we stand in the next four contests

First up is Michigan. There have been no new polls here in the past three weeks-a month. So let’s use the RCP average:

Romney – 19.8%
Huckabee – 18.8%
McCain – 13.0%
Guliani – 12.5%

EDIT – New poll just released by Rossman out of Michigan HUCK LEADS!!

Huckabee – 23%
Romney – 22%
McCain – 18%

As New Hampshire had the Independents Michigan has the Dems. Only Hillary is on the ballot and there is a movement by Obama supporters to cross over and vote for Huckabee. Very interesting!

In Nevada no new polls have come out in a month So we will also use the RCP average:

Guiliani – 23.7%
Romney – 23.7%
Huckabee 15.3%

By the time the last polls were taken Huckaboom was beginning and his rise was dramatic. The very low polling from before November hurts his average. I expect to see higher numbers from Huck and McCain as well with new poll numbers.

Things are even more rosy for Huck in The Palmetto State. Three recent polls have come out in the last few days and Huck enjoys a big lead in the RCP average!

Huckabee – 32.3%
McCain – 19.7%
Romney – 16.0%

Florida is quite key and will be shaped by the three states voting before it does on the 29th of January. Florida is supposedly Rudy’s stronghold but his numbers in Florida and nationally are taking a nosedive. Will he be able to right the ship and win? If not he’s toast! Things are closer than before in the RCP average:

Guiliani – 26.5%
Huckabee – 21.3%
Romney – 16.5%
McCain – 14.3%

There are some recent polls that are not included in the average that show Huck leading and Rudy tanking. Apparently RCP doesn’t trust them. Florida is unknown at this point. It is likely that there will be candidates out of the race by this point (Thompson…maybe Romney too). We’ll just have to wait and see.

Thompson & Hunter After Iowa

The rumor mills are flying on two candidates oon the GOP side, Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter.

First us is Fred. He just has not caught on. His heart doesn’t seem to be in it. Fred barely got a hold of enough cash to run ads in Iowa this week. If he doesn’t finish well he will run out of cash. The rumors are that Fred may drop out if he doesn’t not finish well in Iowa and the rumor is that when he does drop out he will endorse John McCain.

From Politico:

DES MOINES, Iowa – Several Republican officials close to Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign said they expect the candidate will drop out of the race within days if he finishes poorly in Thursday’s Iowa caucus.

Thompson’s campaign, which last spring and summer was generating fevered anticipation in the media and with some Republican activists, has never ignited nationally, and there are no signs of a late spark happening here in Iowa, where even a third-place finish is far from assured.

This reality—combined with a fundraising drought—left well-connected friends and advisers of Thompson Wednesday evening predicting that he will pull the plug on hype and hope before the Jan. 8 New Hampshire primary.

Thompson’s departure could shake up the race more than his continued presence. Friends and advisers said they have long considered it likely that if the lobbyist-actor is forced from the race he would endorse John McCain his former Senate colleague who lately has been staging a political revival in New Hampshire.

“Without a solid third-place finish, there’s no point in going on,” a Thompson adviser said Wednesday. “It was an honorable race, and he turned out to be a good candidate. The moment had just passed.”

A Thompson campaign source said there is “a strong likelihood” that if Thompson comes in a distant third in Iowa, with less than 15 percent of the vote, he would drop out soon—most likely before this weekend’s New Hampshire presidential debates.

The Thompson sources said they were describing a consensus expectation that is now widespread among his political circle, not announcing a decision that the candidate himself has definitively reached.

But Thompson lately has been dropping clear signals that he has reached an up-or-out moment of his own. On Wednesday he took the unusual step of raising expectations for himself at a time when most other candidates are trying to lower them.

When asked what Iowa results he’d be happy with, Thompson held up two fingers, indicating a second-place finish, according to reporters who were with him.

He did something similar on Sunday, when Thompson—apparently in a semi-jocular mood—dismayed his staff by telling reporters that he needed to finish second in the caucuses, a bar that nobody here expects him to cross.

As far as Duncan Hunter is concerned he has been making several interesting statements. First of all he gave up in Iowa and is now in New Hampshire. So it appears that whatever happens tonight he will still wait it out through the 8th. However his statements to the media have been telling.

First of all he said during an interview on CNN recently that through the campaign the he has come to know and really like Mike and noted that Mike’s character was real. Hunter later told the media that he was impressed with Mike’s organization in an interview yesterday. It does appear that when Hunter drops out that he will likely endorse Mike Huckabee. When that happens I have no idea.