Posted on 12/07/2007 11:53:05 PM PST by 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.
3.8% REAL INCOME GROWTH... 4.7% FULL EMPLOYMENT... 177,000 new jobs added... Market back in high 13.600 range (above), ARM mortgages are being kept current in 94% of ALL ARM loans out (Rush Limbaugh) and Consumers are spending for Christmas in a way that is spotlighting all of the economic lies of the media... but huck is a liberal and you sound just like george stephanopolis... but then you are a huckster person!
LLS
Dane, how do you decide which screen name to post under?
Nope. They came from Rooty. Freds downturn seems to be split between McCain and Romney.
The gain for huck is virtually identical to the loss for rooty. It is right down to the exact day. I ran the numbers through Excel and the graph from the last week of November to Friday 7 Dec is VERY obvious.
I wonder what agenda the author of this has?
Fred reminds me of that dead parrot in the Monty Python skit.
Rooty has more trouble with his zipper than Slick.
McLame is insane and disloyal.
Romney is the annointed Bush candidate who will guarantee victory for the witch, by turning off the Evangelicals, who are THE most important part of the Republican base.
Huckabee is the man.
>> Now, ask yourself how Huckabee would handle it?
It’s easy to see how Huckaboo would handle /anything/.
Just envision how Clinton or Obama or Edwards would handle it, and there you have it.
NEWS FLASH — this will be true of abortion and gay marriage also! Do you think for an instant that this disingenuous “aw shucks” moron won’t get rolled by the Dims on EVERY — and I do mean EVERY — topic?
I just can't believe they are passing up a good and successful person like Mr. Romney, who showed the other day that he is willing to lead. Unbelievable. What are these people thinking.
Have you ever thought of writing novels?
What I think we are seeing is the fight for dominance in the Republican party.
Rudy supporters have, and always will be WOT, and Security Conservatives. They are the security moms looking for a Leader. They want someone who will not back down from the terrorists, and will NEVER be appeasers to the "politically correct". They may be social conservatives, but have decided that in this election, those issues must take a back seat to our Nations dominance in the WOT. They may want abortion and gay marriage illegal, but when that day comes, they want to Thank God, and not praise alah.
Hucks supporters, are the opposite, they see the Nation as a failure if they fail to protect the most innocent among us, the unborn. They are willing to overlook his weakness in security issues, as long as he is a strong social conservative.
It is the fight we have been seeing on this very board since the beginning, with one exception, for some reason the social conservatives seem to have chosen Huckabee as their savior, as opposed to the conventional wisdom here, that it would be Fred.
Fred is now saying that Iowa is make or break for his campaign, this after months of hearing that Iowa and New Hampshire didn't matter. I hardly think that Fred is going after Rudy voters, he is going after Huck. Who will win remains to be seen, but I don't think that the Huck voters (regardless of your charts) originally came from Rudy, they came straight from Mitt, and Fred. They were looking for the best Social Conservative, not the best WOT, Security Conservative.
Huck Sucks...
If you are a conservative and not a paid blogger on his staff that is...
Good work.
It is easy, because it is true, Fred is one of the most complex, unique men since Ronald Reagan.
Mike Huckabee is a nice guy.
But the one thing that drives me nuts, and this is certainly petty and juvenile on my part, is his how is one eye turns out and does NOT match the other eye.
It’s so petty that I’m sort of embarrassed to even mention it. But I can’t help it. IT IS DISCONCERTING.
I always envision a US President who has that ability to look squarely into the eyes of the US or the World with a sense of power and respect.
Unfortunately, Huckabee’s eyes just don’t do it for me.
Oh good Lord, not another one of those “Only good if married once” folks...
I guess you think Reagan was a horrible man too.
Funny and ironic really, since Mitt seems to be real determined to wear his mantle.
Now that he is trying to run as a conservative that is...
Followed by the rotation for the day...
They are thinking about electing a conservative....
From your lips to Iowa voters' ears, my friend.
I can't understand the attraction in Huckabee.
Nice enough guy, and yes conservative on many issues.
But puhleeze -- can we just admit (begrudgingly) that it DOES take someone with some charizma... with some spunk ... with some personality ...ESPECIALLY in this ramped up world of TV sound bites and YouTube papparazzi.
Republicans must nominate the most conservative candidate possible -- but one with the ability to attract that mushy middle voter who is waiting for a gregarious personality to tickle their political fancy.
Romney fits that bill better than anyone else, I am convinced.
Is he perfect? No.
But he is as conservative as we can get and STILL have a reasonable chance of defeating the sHrillary/Obama drive-by machine.
Rudy would split the GOP, and would be a disaster.
McCain is too old (sorry John) and unstable. Fred likewise is too stodgy and slow, despite his folksy southern charm.
Hunter is the most rock-ribbed conservative candidate out there, but his personality just doesn't do it for the Republican base (sorry Duncan, but the polls bear me out).
Which is why ROMNEY is the best chance the GOP has ... and in would help the GOP sweep in state and local office-holders, I am certain.
What I have read on him causes me to believe he is a true conservative and than many of the charges laid against him are lies or greatly exagerated. The main stream media hates him and that is always a good sign that he is indeed a conservative of moral and ethical values.
No, Mr. Huckabee is a POPULIST.
If I remember correctly, Fred's first marriage (divorce is also a no - no) was a "shot gun marriage."
I think the best thing ALL conservatives could do right now is skip the "who is the most Christian" conversation, because obviously it will lead no where.
Our leading candidates have 3 divorcees (Rudy x 2, Fred, and McCain), and two with life long marriages (Huck and Romney), we also have a fallen Catholic, a Mormon, and a Preacher. Who wins with this conversation? The Dems!!!!!!
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