St. Petersburg Times columnist Adam C. Smith looks at why Mike Huckabee might be the surprise candidate of the GOP presidential field - and why former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley endorsed him.
No question Huckabee had the one-liner of the last Fox News debate: "We've had a Congress that's spent money like John Edwards at a beauty shop." By week's end his campaign Web site had added a barbershop pole to keep tally of badly needed campaign donations.
To see those debates, or to see Huckabee mesmerize a living room or sprawling banquet hall of undecided Republicans, or hold his own against the likes of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on TV, one can't help wonder about all the pining among staunch conservatives for actor and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson. A proven conservative - and strong communicator - is already in the race, and this guy's actually been an executive, instead of actor playing one.
After an aside that includes a comment from conservative activist Richard Viguerie questioning Thompsons' conservative cred, Smith returns to focusing on Huckabee...
Smith says small-state governors like Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton or Huckabee "tend to thrive on the personal, one-on-one retail politics that states like Iowa and New Hampshire insist upon.
Huckabee is a natural charmer. But he needs quickly to leverage the buzz he's received in recent weeks and show some viability to attract money. His biggest, and perhaps last, opportunity could come in August at the non-binding Iowa straw poll in Ames. Officially a meaningless beauty contest, it receives loads of attention and can set perceptions.
"I really believe Mike Huckabee is going to fare very well. If he gets into the top three in that straw poll, I really believe he will win the Iowa caucuses, " said former Iowa gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats.
Smith's final assessment of Huckabee's chances is that he's running a marathon and needs "a lot to go right for Huckabee and wrong for the leading candidates" to win the nomination.
Given his strengths it's certainly conceivable. Then comes the general election where Democrats would have to face an engaging and impossible maverick who has expanded access to health care, raised the minimum wage and won over traditional Democratic constituencies.
Music to Huckabee's ears.
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