Mike Huckabee was on the precipice of giving up his cushy media enterprise and entering the 2012 presidential campaign until he decided he couldn’t trust his top political hand, Ed Rollins, according to Double Down.
There isn’t any hard evidence Huckabee has designs on a run in 2016. But a South Carolina primary poll testifies to the former Arkansas governor’s enduring popularity with the base of the Republican Party.
Huckabee hasn’t been included in much 2016 polling, but Gravis Marketing placed him among the heap of contenders in the Palmetto State and found him coming out on top.
Among GOP presidential primary voters in South Carolina:
Mike Huckabee 18%
Jeb Bush 17%
Chris Christie 14%
Ted Cruz 13%
Rand Paul 8%
Marco Rubio 8%
Rick Santorum 3%
Scott Walker 2%
Undecided 16%
Name identification, of course, is key in this very early stage of the race. Huckabee’s weekly television presence on the Fox News channel, his radio show, books and email list have kept him front and center in the public eye.
But it’s perhaps more interesting that Gravis chose to include Huckabee in the field — and leave out Texas Gov. Rick Perry – who has already made two trips to South Carolina – and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is also eyeing a White House run.
Harper Polling surveyed the state in October and surprisingly found Gov. Chris Christie leading the pack. But Jeb Bush was left out as was Perry.
The most important takeaway from the batches of data taken together is Christie’s solid performance — snagging double digits in a state usually hostile to politicians from outside the south.
The other reminder almost more important than the topline results is understanding who the pollster decides to include in the field.
Huckabee’s assumed to be a longshot to run in 2016 — so without him, where does his 18 percent go?
Gravis doesn’t ask.
Follow Dave’s blog at TheRun2016.com
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