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Huckabee exceeds expectations in presidential campaign Sunday, Mar 9, 2008 By Aaron Sadler Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - For a Huckabee disciple, Eric Woolson didn't have much faith. Cash woes and a lack of organizational structure plagued Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign in Iowa, where Woolson was campaign manager. On the eve of an all-important straw poll last August, Woolson shared his doubts with the candidate. "I thought we were going to finish fourth," Woolson said last week. "My gut had been fourth." Instead, Huckabee pulled out a second-place finish in the Iowa Republican straw poll, a surprise showing he built upon all the way to his Iowa caucus victory on Jan. 3. "After that, I told him at that point to quit listening to me on those things," Woolson said. At the outset, he was the guy with the funny name best known for a 100-pound weight loss. The former Arkansas governor went on to win nominating contests in his home state, West Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kansas and Louisiana before conceding the Republican presidential nomination to John McCain last week. He picked up supporters with a conservative and caring message, an engaging style and a showmanship that no other Republican could match - he jammed on his bass guitar at almost every campaign stop; actor Chuck Norris, Huckabee's future "secretary of defense," drew crowds to Huckabee events. At his side were evangelical Christians who clung to his anti-abortion, pro-family gospel and tax reform advocates moved by his opposition to the federal income tax. The victories for a man who just a year ago was called "Huckleberry, whatever," by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, surprised advisers who had known Huckabee much longer than Woolson. "I think it's just an unbelievably remarkable accomplishment, starting as an asterisk with no money and ending up being the last man standing next to McCain," said former Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., a senior adviser. "It's phenomenal." Compared to a previous presidential campaign he had worked, it's easy to see why Woolson was skeptical at the outset. Woolson traveled with George Bush across Iowa eight years ago on a luxurious private jet. With Mike Huckabee, Woolson walked a half-mile to a Wal-Mart to buy a ice scraper for Huckabee's rented minivan on one subfreezing day in February 2007. The perceived front-runner in Iowa, Mitt Romney spent at least 10 times more than Huckabee in the state with the nation's first primary. Romney's top-to-bottom organization was unmatched. Huckabee benefited from a fair share of luck. The candidate hosted a press conference three days before the caucus to announce he chose not to air a negative advertisement that attacked Romney. He then showed the ad to the assembled media, drawing laughs of derision from the national press corps. Luckily, Woolson said local Iowa press had one-on-one interviews scheduled with Huckabee the same day. "All my local TV stations, instead of talking about that news conference, were saying 'I sat down with Mike Huckabee today and ...,'" Woolson said. "That was just a bit of serendipity." Pundits said Huckabee also took advantage of what was perceived as a weak GOP field. The candidates exchanged standings as national front-runners last year. None of the four top contenders ever had more than 30 percent support nationwide. "A lot of people who just didn't like the alternative were willing to give him the chance," said Amanda Carpenter, reporter for conservative Web site Townhall.com. A loose coalition of born-again Christians and home schoolers came out by the hundreds to support Huckabee in Iowa. He hoped to ride that momentum to a strong showing in New Hampshire (he finished third) and a win in the pivotal South Carolina primary. McCain derailed Huckabee's campaign with a narrow victory in the Palmetto State. Two days later, money troubles forced staffers to go without pay and Huckabee followed with a distant fourth place in Florida. Though he scored wins across the South on Super Tuesday, the defeat in South Carolina essentially ended his campaign. He pressed on for six weeks, despite pressure from Republican leaders for him to step aside for McCain. "The big turning point to me was South Carolina," Hutchinson said. "I think we should have spent longer in South Carolina. I think an extra three or four days there could have made the difference." Huckabee spent some time in the lead-up to the South Carolina primary in Michigan, time that may have been better used crisscrossing South Carolina. McCain won 33 percent of the vote in South Carolina, compared to 30 for Huckabee and 16 for former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee. Thompson's presence may have done more damage than Huckabee's absence, Hutchinson acknowledged. Thompson, another southerner, cut into Huckabee's base, Hutchinson said. Huckabee bowed out Tuesday when McCain eclipsed the 1,191 delegates needed to win the GOP nomination. Huckabee ended his run with about 300 pledged delegates. "We started this effort with very little recognition and virtually no resources," he said during a concession speech in Irving, Texas. "We ended with slightly more recognition and very few resources." By Jan. 31, Huckabee had raised just $13 million for his campaign, 11th among the slate of presidential candidates, and more than 10 times less than Democratic front-runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. McCain was at $53 million. Romney, who never recovered from his loss in Iowa, was the top GOP fund-raiser. Romney withdrew from the race Feb. 7. At the end of January, he had raised $105 million. Huckabee had about $930,000 on hand on Jan. 31, according to Federal Election Commission filings. The campaign was so frugal that Huckabee once stayed in a Iowa motel that refused to run its heat until a room was rented. On a trip to Houston, Huckabee said he feared for his safety at a cheap motel he used. "He did a tremendous job, through his personality and through his ability to connect with the country, with almost no resources," said Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers. Boozman was one of less than a dozen members of Congress to publicly endorse Huckabee. The Southern Baptist minister espoused a sometimes-populist message that seemed to resonate, especially in debates. He almost always performed well in analysts' post-debate scorecards. He also took advantage of scores of so-called "free media" opportunities, those network television and radio interviews that campaigns consider as free advertising. A senior aide estimated Huckabee's free media over the course of the campaign was worth more than $150 million. Always ready with a quip, he showed up on late night talk shows and landed a guest appearance on "Saturday Night Live" as his run concluded. "People called him the Huckster, but I'm not sure it's all hucksterness," Carpenter said. "Obviously, he had a message that appealed to people." Among Huckabee's major detractors was the anti-tax group Club for Growth. The organization poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into television ads that painted Huckabee as a tax-and-spend liberal based on his record as Arkansas governor. Economic conservatives were leery of Huckabee, who presided over nearly $500 million in tax increases in Arkansas. Club for Growth spokeswoman Nachama Soloveichik said "Hell, yeah!" when asked if the club took credit for Huckabee's defeat. "The problem with Huckabee is that he made himself into the ultimate niche candidate," she said. "He was strictly a social conservative candidate with a really good sense of humor. Other critics had questions about Huckabee's foreign policy credentials, and he emboldened the criticism with a couple missteps ahead of the Iowa caucuses. He branded Bush's foreign policy as "arrogant," erred in some Middle East geography and was caught unaware of an intelligence report on nuclear weapons in Iran. Even before the campaign ended, there was speculation about Huckabee's next move. Grover Norquist, head of the group Americans for Tax Reform, said Huckabee could sharpen his economic conservative and foreign policy credentials with a Senate run. Huckabee has repeatedly denied interest in a Senate race. He said his immediate plans include some paid speaking engagements. He plans to campaign on behalf of McCain and other Republican candidates this year. Supporters hold out hope McCain will ask him to be his vice-presidential nominee. Hutchinson said he awaits another Huckabee presidential bid. "He has put himself in a great position for whatever he wants to do in the future," Hutchinson said. "I'm hoping for and encouraging another run for president." |
