Could Gov. Mike Huckabee be the best person Gov. Mitt Romney could choose to be his Vice-Presidential running mate? Some people are thinking so. They say Huckabee would “balance” the GOP Ticket with Romney by appealing to the party’s Evangelical Christian base, and to blue-collar workers. It’s true that Huckabee is extremely popular with many conservative Christians, although not with all conservatives. But he is also very popular in the state of Iowa, which could give Romney more of a fighting chance to turn that state from blue to red in November. He also could help Romney in Ohio where he will need a huge, enthusiastic turnout among Evangelicals to win. I doubt this will come about, but there is a case to be made for Huckabee:
REAL CLEAR POLITICS – Scott Conroy: If Mitt Romney’s most pressing consideration in selecting a running mate is to find someone who can expand his appeal among independents or a critical demographic that remains up for grabs, several candidates would likely fit the bill better than Mike Huckabee.
But if the former Massachusetts governor instead concludes that his right flank is not as secure as it needs to be, Huckabee may be among his best options.
The winner of the 2008 Iowa caucuses remains one of the most popular and well-recognized conservatives nationwide, and his decision not to launch a second presidential run removed what might have been Romney’s toughest competitor on the road to the Republican nomination.
Thus far, most GOP strategists assume that the urgency to defeat President Obama will negate any conservatives’ thoughts about staying home in November. Romney’s primary concern over the next five months, this dominant line of thinking goes, is to make headway with the narrow slice of the electorate who can be won by either candidate.
With that in mind, Huckabee backers are quick to draw attention to the former Arkansas governor’s affable demeanor, lack of pretention, and his up-from-the-bootstraps personal story, all of which might soften Romney’s image and make the GOP ticket more relatable to blue-collar independents.
But chief among the pro-Huckabee arguments made by many former aides and close confidants is that he could be an instant cure for the presumptive nominee’s lingering problems within his party’s base — a concern that his Boston-based campaign may be underestimating.
“Romney is still weak among evangelicals and the faith-based community, and there’s probably no one else in the country who could better take that off the table than Huckabee,” said Mike Campbell, who helmed Huckabee’s 2008 campaign in South Carolina. “When you go beyond that, he’s extremely popular with the Tea Party and with the fair-tax community. These are people that Romney is going to desperately have to have that level of comfort with, and I just don’t think there’s anyone else out there who can balance off the ticket as well as [Huckabee] does.” . . . Read More
