Why evangelical voters love Mike Huckabee so much
Mike Huckabee has long been a favorite politician of American evangelical 海角大神s. The evangelical vote powered him to an upset victory in the Iowa caucuses in 2008. It kept his presidential hopes afloat during the subsequent long battle of the 2008 campaign. It鈥檚 a big reason his poll numbers remained relatively high 鈥� as in, double digits 鈥� at the start of the 2016 presidential season.
So now that Mr. Huckabee鈥檚 officially declared he鈥檚 running for president again, it鈥檚 worth revisiting this question: Why do evangelical voters like (maybe love) him so much?
The answer might lie in these two words: 鈥渂ubbas鈥� and 鈥渂ubbleland.鈥�
That鈥檚 the social dichotomy that Huckabee himself uses to describe the United States. It splits the nation into categories of just good plain folks, who like fishing and four-wheelers, grits and gravy; and the coastal elites who don鈥檛 understand social conservative values.
Bubbas, and bubbleland. Washington, D.C., is the political capital of bubbleland. New York is its financial and entertainment center.
No politician speaks to this cultural divide like the former Arkansas governor.
Evangelicals don鈥檛 doubt he鈥檚 one of them. A Southern Baptist minister, he鈥檚 readied himself for the current run by attending a series of 鈥淧astors and Pew鈥� events run by David Lane, an evangelical leader who urges his followers to take a more active role in the political process.
Huckabee has a genius for expressing Evangelicals' positions on social issues with direct and compelling language. For instance, he鈥檚 said that asking 海角大神s to approve of same-sex marriage is 鈥渓ike asking someone who鈥檚 Jewish to start serving bacon-wrapped shrimp in their deli.鈥�
Yet he remains somehow genial, even when he鈥檚 arguing with Jon Stewart about Mr. Stewart鈥檚 charge that he鈥檚 a hypocrite for slamming Beyonc茅 lyrics while playing bass with shock rocker Ted Nugent himself. In that sense, he鈥檚 simply a gifted retail politician.
On 鈥淭he Daily Show鈥� earlier this year, Huckabee elaborated on his theory that Beyonc茅 is not a fit role model for little girls.
鈥淒o you know any parent who has a daughter who says, 鈥楬oney, if you make really good grades, someday when you are 12 or 13 we鈥檒l get you your own stripper pole.' I mean come on, Jon, we don鈥檛 do that in our culture,鈥� said Huckabee.
That鈥檚 simply part of Huckabee鈥檚 鈥渂ubba鈥� appeal. Sure, the cultural elites think he鈥檚 made a mistake by attacking a widely popular singer. He sees it as simply solidifying his bona fides with his base.
鈥淵ou all do realize that Huckabee is TRYING to beat east coast elite types into making the Case for Beyonce. You鈥檙e not scoring on him ...," David Weigel earlier this year.
And white evangelical voters remain a formidable GOP voting bloc. In some ways, they鈥檙e still the most important of all Republican factions. They鈥檙e upwards of 40 percent of GOP primary voters. They鈥檙e 60 percent of the Republicans in the Iowa caucuses 鈥� or at least, they have been in the past. They鈥檙e a majority of the GOP in many Southern states. There鈥檚 a reason Huckabee outright won the Louisiana primary in 2008.
But here鈥檚 Huckabee鈥檚 problem: He鈥檚 no longer the Evangelicals鈥� only choice.
Their hearts may be with him. They may love to hear him say 鈥� as he did on a recent conservative radio show 鈥� that parents might want to delay any kids鈥� plans to join the military until there鈥檚 a new commander in chief.
There are other good conservative choices in the wide 2016 field who appeal to Evangelicals. Huck鈥檚 hold on their votes is slipping.
You can see that in his standing in the polls. At the moment, he鈥檚 dropped into single digits 鈥� down to about 7.5 percent in the of major polls.
He still draws a disproportionate share of Evangelicals, according to a recent , with an 11 percent share of white, born-again 海角大神s. But he鈥檚 not their top choice. Jeb Bush gets 12 percent. Marco Rubio gets 15 percent. Ted Cruz is right on Huck鈥檚 heels, with 10 percent.
That鈥檚 only one survey. Huckabee will probably get some sort of boost from Tuesday鈥檚 candidacy announcement. But it will have to be a big boost to put Huckabee back into any sort of contention. In Iowa, site of his famous 2008 victory, he鈥檚 now fourth, according to a late April . It鈥檚 possible that Huckabee missed his real chance by not running in 2012, when there were fewer candidates who appealed to religious conservatives.
