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Celebrity backers try to bring in votes for Huckabee Friday, Jan 18, 2008 By Aaron Sadler FLORENCE, S.C. - An hour before a Mike Huckabee campaign rally began Thursday, Roy Pruitt cut short a conversation. The 65-year-old retiree from Bennettsville, S.C., weaved his way through a group of teenagers to claim a prime spot just inches from the stage. "We've got to get up there and get in the front row," Pruitt said as he and his wife, Patricia, raced to a position right behind a red velvet rope. The Pruitts drove 40 miles to get to the event at a cavernous hangar at the Florence airport. They were the first visitors to arrive - two hours early. And they carried along a photograph of a nephew who resembled the celebrity they waited for so eagerly, hoping he would see it. All that for Huckabee? Not exactly. Though the couple said they likely will vote for Huckabee in Saturday's Republican presidential primary, Roy Pruitt said he was drawn to the rally by Chuck Norris. "If Chuck can believe in him, I can," Pruitt said. Norris, the actor and martial artist endorsed the former Arkansas governor last fall and has hardly left his side since. Norris and professional wrestler Ric Flair, a South Carolina resident, traveled across the state with Huckabee on Thursday as part of a final campaign blitz before the primary. Both Norris and Flair said they support Huckabee because of his social conservative values and because he seems to sincerely connect with voters. Huckabee is playing up those pro-family themes in a state where he will rely on evangelical Christians for support. His evangelical base carried him to a win the Iowa caucus on Jan. 3, but he placed third in New Hampshire and Michigan primaries since then. A victory Saturday over Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., - polls show McCain with a slight lead - would give Huckabee momentum among a jumble of credible GOP contenders. Huckabee tried to lure undecided voters like Weston Jordan with his rapid-fire campaign stops Thursday. More are scheduled today. Jordan, a 21-year-old college student, said Norris' appearance provided just enough added incentive for him to come out to hear Huckabee on a cold, rainy afternoon. "All the Republican candidates are about the same," Jordan said. "Nobody's really distinguished themselves." Experts argue the value of celebrity endorsements, which are plenty this year. Among them, Democrat Barack Obama has help from Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton is backed by Barbra Streisand. Huckabee also has former New York Yankees star Bobby Richardson and rocker Ted Nugent on his side. As for Norris and Flair, Huckabee jokingly calls the duo the next "secretary of defense and secretary of homeland security." About two dozen high school boys raised their camera phones in unison and shouted Flair's trademark "Woo!" when the wrestler took the stage. The principal of Emmanuel Christian School in Hartsville, S.C., brought the students on a field trip to see the American political process first-hand, or so he said. Principal Jimmy Beck was second in line behind Ray Pruitt to get his photo taken with Norris after the rally. "We sort of had Chuck Norris jokes going around the school," Beck said. "It's sort of a very popular thing. There are a lot of Ric Flair fans, too." Huckabee himself has been amazed by Flair. The longtime wrestling champ announced his support for Huckabee at a football game between in-state rivals South Carolina and Clemson two months ago. "As we walked through that stadium, nobody said anything to me, but all I could hear was 'Woo!' all the way through and it was awesome," Huckabee said. For all the hype, celebrity endorsements usually do not matter at the ballot box, said Kelli Lammie, an expert on politics and pop culture. "People seem to look skeptically upon celebrity endorsements, believing them to be simple (public relations) stunts or a last-ditch effort to save an ailing campaign," said Lammie, a professor at the State University of New York in Albany. "They are distrustful of politicians who utilize celebrity endorsements and even report being less likely to vote for them." That being said, the endorsements bring a ton of media attention and could drastically improve fundraising, she added. Norris has a fund-raiser planned for Huckabee at his Texas ranch on Sunday. About 300 people attended the Huckabee rally in Florence. The Arkansan's campaign said more than 3,000 attended a similar rally in Clemson, S.C. later in the day. Wake Forest University marketing professor Kenny Herbst said celebrity endorsements drive voter turnout but have a negligible effect on specific candidates. Norris on Thursday took credit for Huckabee's popularity spike back in December. Norris said a light-hearted television advertisement he shot with Huckabee was a pivotal move for the campaign. The commercial drew more than a million viewers on the Internet. "This kind of lit a spark for Mike," Norris said. "The thing is, a spark will go out without a message behind it." Huckabee's message Thursday leaned toward portrayal of himself as a Washington outsider. That came a day after a group of what he called "insider" opponents came to South Carolina to attack Huckabee's record as governor. The group was led by the anti-tax Club for Growth, long a foe of tax increases and bigger state spending that evolved under Huckabee's watch in Arkansas. Flanked by a former governor and the current lieutenant governor of South Carolina, Huckabee said Palmetto State residents should listen to their own leaders instead of outside groups. Flair said he expected Huckabee to carry South Carolina, yet wasn't sure how much of a role his endorsement would play. "Look, this is politics, it's not pro wrestling," said Flair, whose flamboyant wrestling persona earned him the nickname 'Nature Boy.' "If I compare him to the other people I'm listening to and understand all the glamour and glitz that goes with the show, I'd say he's a real down-to-earth guy that can help America." |
