Mike Huckabee
Michael Dale "Mike" Huckabee (born August 24, 1955) is an American politician and radio personality. He was the Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He is a Republican. He is also a Southern Baptist minister. He unsuccessfully ran for President of the United States in 2008 and in 2016.
Mike Huckabee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Ambassador to Israel | |
Nominee | |
| Assuming office TBD | |
| President | Donald Trump (elect) |
| Succeeding | Jack Lew |
| 44th Governor of Arkansas | |
| In office July 15, 1996 – January 8, 2007 | |
| Lieutenant | Winthrop P. Rockefeller (1996–2006) Vacant (2006-07) |
| Preceded by | Jim Guy Tucker |
| Succeeded by | Mike Beebe |
| 12th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas | |
| In office November 20, 1993 – July 15, 1996 | |
| Governor | Jim Guy Tucker |
| Preceded by | Jim Guy Tucker |
| Succeeded by | Winthrop Paul Rockefeller |
| Chairman of the National Governors Association | |
| In office 2005–2006 | |
| Preceded by | Mark Warner |
| Succeeded by | Janet Napolitano |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Dale Huckabee August 24, 1955 Hope, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Janet Huckabee[1] |
| Children | John, Mark, David, and Sarah |
| Residence | Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, U.S.[2] |
| Alma mater | Ouachita Baptist University Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary |
| Profession | Politician, author, public speaker, & ordained minister |
| Signature |  |
| Website | www |
Early life
changeHuckabee was born in Hope, Arkansas. His parents were Mae Elder and Dorsey Huckabee. Several of his ancestors were slave owners in Georgia and Arkansas.[3] He studied at Ouachita Baptist University and at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Governor of Arkansas (1996-2007)
changeIn 1996, incumbent Democratic governor Jim Guy Tucker was convicted of fraud. Within a few hours, Tucker reinstated his resignation after Huckabee threatened to initiate impeachment proceedings against Tucker. Huckabee was sworn in as Governor of Arkansas on July 15, 1996.
In November 1998, Huckabee was elected to a full four-year term by defeating retired Colonel Gene McVay in the primary and Jonesboro attorney Bill Bristow in the general election, becoming the state's third elected Republican Governor since Reconstruction.
In November 2002, Huckabee was reelected to his second four-year term by defeating State Treasurer Jimmie Lou Fisher, garnering 53 percent of the vote. His reelection came despite the defeat in the general election of fellow Republican U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson. By the end of his term, Huckabee held the third-longest tenure of any Arkansas Governor. Only Democrats Orval Faubus, who served six consecutive two-year terms (1955–1967), and Bill Clinton, who served 11 years, 11 months (1979–1981; 1983–1992), had longer tenures.
During his time as a governor Huckabee raised taxes 21 times for a net tax increase of $505 million.[4]
2008 presidential campaign
changeHuckabee announced his run for the White House on Meet the Press on January 28, 2007.[5] He lost the Republican primaries to John McCain.
2016 presidential campaign
changeOn May 5, 2015, Huckabee announced that he would seek the 2016 Republican nomination for President of the United States.[6] It was his second run for the U.S. presidency. Huckabee made the announcement in his hometown, Hope, Arkansas.[7] He suspended his campaign on February 1, 2016.[8][9]
U.S. Ambassador to Israel
changeOn November 12, 2024, it was announced that President-elect Donald Trump would be nominating Huckabee as United States Ambassador to Israel.[10] Trump offered the ambassadorship to Huckabee before in 2016, however he declined to accept.[11]
Personal life
changeAfter 2008, he began hosting a news talk show on the Fox News television channel. The show, called Huckabee, ran until 2015 when Huckabee retired. He has also written several books, many of which have been best sellers.
In his spare time, Huckabee plays guitar in a band. On his television show he has played guitar with a number of famous artists, including Willie Nelson, Def Leppard, and Ted Nugent.
Huckabee married Janet Huckabee in 1974. They have four children - John, Mark, David, and Sarah. Sarah was the White House Press Secretary under the Donald Trump administration and is the Governor of Arkansas.
References
change- ↑ "Biography". Team Huckabee. Huckabee For President Inc. Archived from the original on June 7, 2010. Retrieved December 17, 2007.
- ↑ Finn, Tyler (April 14, 2010). "Mike Huckabee Registers to Vote in Florida". CBS News.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ Reitwiesner, William Addams. "Genealogical observations on the 2008 candidates". www.wargs.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ↑ Schroeder, Robert (May 5, 2015). "Huckabee in tax war as ex-governor launches White House bid". www.marketwatch.com. MarketWatch, Inc. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ↑ "Huckabee, the Jared Candidate?". Wall Street Journal. January 29, 2007. Archived from the original on January 12, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
"Former AR Governor Mike Huckabee to Explore Presidential Bid". George Washington University. January 28, 2007. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2015. - ↑ "The Mike Huckabee record: An early advocate for criminal justice reform". yahoo.com. May 5, 2015. Archived from the original on May 6, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ↑ Barabak, Mark Z. (April 17, 2015). "Mike Huckabee edges toward 2016 run; May 5 announcement planned". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ "Mike Huckabee FEC Filing" (PDF). FEC.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Mike Huckabee suspends his 2016 campaign". Politico.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
- ↑ "Trump picks former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel". Associated Press. November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
- ↑ Valencia, Jamel (November 12, 2024). "Mike Huckabee to aim for Middle East peace as new U.S. Ambassador to Israel". KFOX. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
Other websites
change
Media related to Mike Huckabee at Wikimedia Commons
- Mike Huckabee official website
- HuckPAC
- Mike Huckabee Grassroots Forum
- Campaign contributions Archived 2017-12-01 at the Wayback Machine at OpenSecrets.org
- Profile in The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture