Wednesday, 03.05.08

What's Next for Mike Huckabee?

Rick Gershon/Getty Images

After failing to halt John McCain's momentum, Mike Huckabee finally drops out of the presidential race, raising questions as to what he might do next.

For all his foibles and limitations, Mike Huckabee proved himself a formidable campaigner during the fight for the Republican nomination. More than that, he proved himself wildly entertaining and very much in tune with a broad yet underrepresented segment of the American mainstream, as evidenced by his high-concept embrace of low-brow celebrities like action hero Chuck Norris, wrestler Ric Flair, and rocker Ted Nugent. That is, as Adam Thierer argued a few months back, Huckabee managed to decry moral turpitude and enjoy the sweet sounds of "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang" at the same time. How much more American can you get?

Perhaps a presidential bid wasn't the best vehicle for Huckabee's talents. Some, including Republican super-strategist Mike Murphy, have suggested, only half-jokingly, that Huckabee host a cable TV talk show. Then there are those, like evangelical David Kuo, who see Huckabee as the perfect leader for a renewed religious right, one that focuses as much on fighting poverty and protecting the environment as on traditional social issues.

Or Huckabee could run for president again, in 2012 or 2016. He's still a young man, only slightly older than Barack Obama, with long experience as governor of a decidedly purple state. While it's true that second-timers tend not to do well in presidential races, Huckabee could lay the groundwork for another run by giving conservatives a dramatic win. Mark Pryor, one of Arkansas's two Democratic senators, is up for reelection, and he doesn't have a Republican opponent. Thanks to his new national fundraising base, Huckabee could do more than make a race competitive -- he could crush Pryor, and emerge as a leader in what is likely to be a diminished Republican Senate minority. And in that role he could articulate a new policy agenda focused on the needs of the Republican Party's working-class base. Unfortunately, the filing deadline is March 10th, leaving Huckabee little time to make up his mind. — Reihan Salam

Filed Under: Republicans

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