Former Arkansas Gov. and former U.S. President Bill Clinton gave a nod toward Gov. Mike Huckabee this week on ABC’s “This Week.”
While right-wing Christian conservatives threaten to pull from the GOP party, Clinton had this to say to George Stephanopoulos about the former Arkansas Gov.:
Mr. Huckabee is the “only dark horse that’s got any kind of chance. … He’s the best speaker they’ve got.”
Former presidential candidate Newt Gingrich expressed a similar statement:
Mr. Gingrich described the candidate on the same show as “very effective. … If Huckabee can find money, he will be dramatically competitive almost overnight. You have to like Mike.”
A recent Newsweek poll shows Huckabee continues to gain momentum.
Huckabee is now ahead of Sen. John McCain in Iowa and nearly tied with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, according to a Sept. 29 Newsweek poll conducted with 1,215 Iowa registered voters by Princeton Survey Research Associates International on Sept. 26-27
In a campaign press release Huckabee said, “The Newsweek poll reflects what we’ve been feeling on the ground for some time: that there is steady, upward momentum for my campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire, and other early primary states… We’ve got a winning message. Our focus is on the money game.”
In addition, the campaign press release pointed to a possible match-up between Clinton’s wife Sen. Hillary Clinton and Huckabee.
Last month, a NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showed Huckabee and former Gov. Mitt Romney nearly tied in respective head to head match-ups against Hillary Clinton. Clinton led Huckabee 50-36 with 6% undecided, while she led Romney 51-38 with 5% undecided. The poll also gave Huckabee the lowest negative ratings among all Republican candidates for President, boding well in a potential match-up against Clinton.
Huckabee said Sen. Clinton’s “front-runner†status gives her a natural advantage, which could be overcome “once Republicans rally around their candidate.â€