Poll: Huckabee up nationally

Richmond Times Dispatch ^ | 12/8/2007 | WIRE REPORTS

[dano1]

Mike Huckabee has vaulted from nowhere into second place in the Republican presidential race, a nationwide poll showed yesterday.

The surge by the former Arkansas governor has come with support from evangelicals, Southerners and conservatives, and largely at the expense of former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, according to the national survey by The Associated Press and Ipsos.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani remains the front-runner at 26 percent among Republican and GOP-leaning voters, about where he has been since spring.

Huckabee has 18 percent, up from 10 percent in an AP-Ipsos survey a month ago and 3 percent in July. Arizona Sen. John McCain has 13 percent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney 12 percent and Thompson 11 percent. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Giuliani also remains the favorite of voters age 18 to 24. In a separate Harvard University Institute of Politics poll, he has the support of 26 percent, compared with 15 percent for McCain.

Among Democrats, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was the choice of 38 percent of young voters and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was next at 33 percent.

Obama: The Illinois senator is already reaping the benefits of Oprah Winfrey's high-wattage celebrity backing.

Thousands of Iowans have flocked to his office for tickets for two events today in Iowa. The campaign declines to say how many tickets have been distributed but says no one will be turned away from the unique opportunity to attract new voters.

Clinton: The New York senator yesterday turned to 32 former U.S. ambassadors and diplomats appointed to top positions by then-President Bill Clinton and confirmed by a Republican-led Senate to endorse her diplomatic skills as first lady.

The backers included former career diplomat Joe Wilson, the Iraq war critic who previously served as ambassador to Gabon; former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard, who served in Canada; former House Speaker Tom Foley, D-Wash., who served as ambassador in Japan, and former Sen. Walter Mondale, D-Minn., who also served in Japan.

Thompson: Campaigning in Ohio yesterday, the former Tennessee senator criticized rival Huckabee, saying it was "surprising" a presidential candidate wouldn't know about a newly released intelligence report that said Iran suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003.

Huckabee told reporters earlier this week he was not aware of the National Intelligence Estimate report on Iran.

Thompson has been tripped up by news events himself. In September, he said he was not aware that the Supreme Court had decided to hear arguments on the constitutionality of lethal injection.

Early in his campaign, Thompson sidestepped a question about the Terri Schiavo right-to-die case, saying he didn't remember the details.

McCain: The Arizona senator yesterday said in New Hampshire that if he loses his bid for the Republican nomination, he'll return to the Senate. McCain would have two more years left in his fourth term.

[dano1]

Politico | October 14, 2007 | Jonathan Martin

"Social conservatives can stop looking for their perfect presidential candidate. There is one Republican who, given his credentials, would appear the likeliest to rally evangelicals and others on the Christian right."

"He is resolutely anti-abortion, supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and is a man of deep faith. He has been elected — and reelected — to statewide office in a Democratic-leaning state."

"And he’s right under their noses: Mike Huckabee."

[lesser_satan]

ping

[lesser_satan]

The REAL Mike Huckabee

[GeronL]

New Hampshire NEA endorsed Huckabee and Hillary, because they think he'll be easy to beat.

He has some demons, high taxes, "compassionate conservative" at least toward illegals.

[Dane]

Ruh roh, Petronski and Travis will not be happy.

The spin machine will go into overdrive.

[cdnerds]

Yay another Bob Dole who has NO chance of being elected nationally. Nominate him, its over for republicans in 08.. I think he is a good man, but there is a difference between who we like and who can be elected. This man has no chance of winning FL, Ohio, CA or PA... END GAME for us.

[WildcatClan]

I am resolutely, unequivocally anti-abortion as well and support a lot of things. This is a good thing, but I don’t see how it qualifies me to be president of the US. What are Huckabees credentials in securing our border? What has he done to that end? We are at war, what are his military credentials, what has he done to build a strong national defense?

What is his experience and what are his positions on enforcing our laws? Do we just overlook illegals? Are we allowed to send illegals back where they belong, if they don’t have children? As a social conservative, can you discern a great difference in pardoning a murderer and lobbying for his release? Is this the kind of judgment we are to expect from a Huckabee administration? This man is a shameless panderer.

Don’t get me wrong, I find Huckabee useful. His very presence in the “top tier” exposes the folly of the so-called “top tier”. His recent conversions are in line with the rest of the so-called “top tier”. Do you think Huckabee will shine a light on that folly and get the GOP electorate to start using their gray matter or do you think they will continue down the same path? Do you think they will continue to trust that these guys in the “top tier” will do as they say they will? You never know, the paradigm may shift and the electorate may start supporting a candidate that has actually done what Huckabee and the rest are saying they will.

[John Valentine]

Who are you talking about?

If you are talking about Huckabee, I agree 100%. If the Republicans are walking around with sand in their craniums and actually nominate this guy, the Democrats will take him apart like a tinkertoy set next fall. Forget FL, CA, OH and PA, this guy won’t even manage to carry AR.

Now if you are referring to Fred Thompson, then I’ll hold my tongue, because I wouldn’t want to say anything insulting.

[river rat]

I fear the nation won’t survive another Arkansas Governor in the White House...
This one is even a weaker candidate than the first one.....

I’ve had MORE than enough of Arkansas, Clintons, Bushes and leftist liberals running as Republicans..

[cdnerds]

The thread is about Huk... of course im talking about him.

[Herakles]

I’m curious! What makes you desire to have a president who belongs to a religious sect who desires rapture and the end of time?

Don’t get me wrong; I would be asking the same of someone who is Muslim and who wanted a Muslim president who wanted us to all go meet Allah and claim 72 Virginians.

[ansel12]

I’m annoyed at this Huckabee thing, but when I saw this post I realized that you must be on cloud nine.

I forgot that we have a few Mike supporters here, for you guys this must be heady times, this is a shocking turn of events.

I like it because I think that it benefits my guy, and it is temporary etc., but man, there is no denying that Huckabee went from being nowhere to exploding.

I think that all of us that support other candidates envy the fun that you must be having right now.

[John Valentine]

I thought you might be, but you had replied to LS, who has a Thompson tagline... I wasn’t sure. There are a lot of people who won’t let an opportunity go by to make some adverse comment about FDT, even on a Huck thread.

[flaglady47]

I cannot believe the idiocy of Iowa Pubs in backing the Huckster, if this poll is anywhere close to right. How gullible and naive are some Pubs, I ask you? They’ve been totally swayed by the MSM who wants the Huckster to upset Romney, and Guiliani who is loving this, for the same reason. The problem is, there isn’t enough time, I don’t believe, for the Iowa Pubs to get a clue about the true Huckster. The damage is done, and the gullible will vote. Hopefully, the Pubs in New Hampshire won’t fall victim to the snowball effect from Iowa, and vote the same way. I can’t believe they will as NH isn’t chock full of evangelical Christians. However, they might do something even worse and vote for John McCain. Romney will then most likely be out of the picture if this scenario takes place, and Guiliani will take it from there and mop up in Florida and elsewhere, as a much more viable alternative to either the Huckster or McInsane. Unless Fred Thompson is able to pull it together and rise in the polls fast.

[ansel12]

“Romney will then most likely be out of the picture if this scenario takes place,”

How sad that would for Romney, but for republicans it would be OK, and for conservatives, it is looked for.

Let him return to his old anti-Reagan life.

[NavVet]

Pro, Amnesty,
Pro SCHIP,
Pro Tax,
Pro Nanny State
Ethically Challenged.

No Thanks, If he’s the guy, I’ll sit this one out.

http://www.huckabeefacts.org/

[NavVet]

Secure the border, don’t be silly. Flooding our country with Mexico’s poor in search of U.S. taxpayer funded servies is god’s way of giving us evil white people a second chance at redemption. Sure, we may have to raise taxes a bit, but we’re talking about redemption here.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to give a speech to the liberal teachers union to thank them for their endorsement. I also promised to give liberal tv host Alan Colmes another soundbite to use in his next endorsement of me.

- M Huckabee

[Baladas]

“What goes up, must come down. Spinnin’ wheel got to go ‘round....”

Or, to the MSM, Hickabee can ask:

“Why do you build me up (build me up) buttercup baby, just to let me down (let me down)....?

For Hillary, of course. Doh.

[flaglady47]

“How sad that would for Romney, but for republicans it would be OK, and for conservatives, it is looked for.”

The Pubs will be the lesser party for their poor choices if they choose the Huckster over a good many like Romney, the only one amongst the first tier candidates who actually lives a conservative lifestyle. I find it very interesting that the Huckster never brings his wife with him on the campaign trail. Why? Maybe because she’s not pretty like the other wives are? Says a lot to me about the Huckster.

[flaglady47]

whoops, man like Romney, not many like Romney. My bad.