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Huckabee among presidential hopefuls taking stage at GOP event Thursday, Mar 9, 2006 By Aaron Sadler Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Gov. Mike Huckabee will join a parade of potential Republican presidential contenders at a GOP conference in Memphis this weekend for what could be a make-or-break event for the 2008 hopefuls. Huckabee and six other possible GOP presidential candidates are scheduled to address the biennial Southern Republican Leadership Conference. The event begins today at the Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis. The next presidential election is 970 days away. More immediate is Saturday's straw poll, for which about 1,800 conference delegates will choose their presidential preference. A poor showing in the straw poll could dampen a candidate's 2008 prospects. George W. Bush, then governor of Texas, won the straw poll at the 1998 conference even though he did not attend that year's conference. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Guiliani is the only major GOP prospect who is not scheduled to attend this year's conference. Hotline, a daily political briefing of the National Journal, is sponsoring the straw poll. Republican state and local leaders from 26 states are expected to attend the conference. Huckabee is scheduled to address delegates Saturday morning. Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas' lone GOP gubernatorial candidate, is slated to speak Sunday. Clint Reed, executive director of the Republican Party of Arkansas, said a large group of Arkansans will make the short trek to Memphis for what could be a dress rehearsal for the 2008 Republican presidential sweepstakes. But Reed said it's too early read much into candidates' showings this weekend. "We're at the beginning of 2006 and the presidential election is not until 2008," Reed said. "I don't think the average voter is paying attention to what's going on with political inside baseball." The lineup of GOP presidential prospects includes Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Both speak Friday. U.S. Sens. George Allen of Virginia, Sam Brownback of Kansas, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Frist of Tennessee are on Saturday's agenda with Huckabee. "It's early, but at this point everybody wants to see what everybody has to say," said Kevin Phillips, a conference organizer. Washington-based consultant Kirsten Fedewa, who is coordinating Huckabee's schedule for the event, said the governor would speak at 10:15 a.m. Saturday and his band, "Capitol Offense," is scheduled to play at a reception that night. Huckabee said Tuesday he will not use his address to the conference - his third since he's been governor - to discuss his political aspirations. His intent is to generate GOP interest in the 2006 elections, he said. "The focus is really on what's at stake in this election cycle," Huckabee said. "The key thing for me, obviously, is that we have 36 governors up (for election), including ours." Huckabee is term-limited and cannot seek re-election this year. Hutchinson, a former congressman and undersecretary in the federal Homeland Security Department, said he would speak about Arkansas' economic opportunities and the chance to claim a governor's seat open for the first time in 28 years. Hutchinson said he would not participate in the straw poll. "We'll wait and see who's in there and we're all watching Gov. Huckabee very closely," said Hutchinson, who declined to endorse a candidate. "What's wonderful is we have a lot of folks who would be excellent presidents." Phillips said the event is the first with delegates from both the South and the Midwest, which generated much more public interest than usual for the event held every two years. He said bringing the two regions together for the first time nearly doubled the number of expected delegates. The straw poll brings even more prestige and interest to the four-day conference, Phillips said. More than 200 media representatives will attend the event. MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews will broadcast live from The Peabody on Friday. Several state GOP organizations are hosting private receptions, including Mississippi's at B.B. King's restaurant on historic Beale Street and a Tennessee group at the renowned Rendezvous restaurant. A Frist-backed political action committee is sponsoring a bus from Nashville to the event, according to Hotline. The Senate majority leader's committee is asking bus riders to participate in the straw poll. No such organized get-out-the-vote effort is planned for Arkansans, Reed said. |
