Q&A: MIKE HUCKABEE
Transcript: Mike Huckabee On Why He Can Still Be The GOP Nominee

© National Journal Group Inc.
Friday, Feb. 1, 2008

National Journal's Linda Douglass sat down with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee for "National Journal On Air." This is a transcript of their conversation. Audio of the full show is also available.

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Q: I want to welcome Governor Mike Huckabee, one of the Republican presidential candidates, as we all well know. Welcome, Governor Huckabee.

Huckabee: Thank you, Linda. Pleasure to be here.

Q: Thanks so much for joining us. Well, it is now, in the eyes of some, a two-man race in the Republican Party, but you are certainly of the mind that it is still a three-man race. Why?

Huckabee: Well, very much so. The delegate count shows us actually pretty close, and nobody is even within a thousand votes of getting the delegate count necessary to capture the nomination. For the media to deem this a two-man race is really a disservice not just to me and to my supporters, but I think to the people of this country, who are a long way from deciding who they are going to pick as their nominee.

Q: What is your strategy for breaking through now and somehow puncturing the perception that John McCain is the front-runner and the only one who might have a chance of knocking him off is Romney?

Huckabee: Well, that is total nonsense. First of all, this is being based on the hype of some of these early contests. Florida has fewer delegates at stake than Georgia does, fewer than Missouri does -- both of which are in play next Tuesday, both of which I think we will likely win. We also will probably win Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama. We're going to have a good day next Tuesday, and it's going to be a very different-looking race than it is today.

And I think for people to sort of say it's basically down to two people, as CNN tried to do last night in the debate -- it was very frustrating to see that. Fox News has tried to make that point, and you know, some of us are saying, wait a minute, you don't get to make that decision. The people do, and until this delegate count is a whole lot further spread than it is, it's just a little bit disingenuous to tell the people, here are the two contenders. You know, a few months ago, Linda, Rudy Giuliani was the de facto nominee, then it was Fred Thompson. Where are they today? They're at home. I'm still fighting, and you know, I'm not quitting. I may get beat, but it'll be awhile. In the meantime, as long as the IRS is still broken, I'm still a candidate.

Q: So, it certainly is part of the conventional wisdom -- which, granted, if you're the candidate and perhaps if you live outside of Washington is a very irritating presence in the discussions of these campaigns -- but it is the conventional wisdom that the candidate you hurt the most as you move ahead is Mitt Romney. Why do you think that's the perception?

Huckabee: Why don't people see that Mitt Romney is hurting me? I'm the guy who's had the most consistent conservative record. Mitt Romney has spent millions and millions and millions of dollars to have the same market share as I have. I think the real question is, if people wanted to get behind my candidacy, it's obviously easier to sell my message than it is to sell his. With very little resources we've got virtually the same delegate count; we've got as much of the market share as he has. I think that ought to be the message to Republicans -- why continue to spend that much money on a candidate that's just not selling?

Q: You know, he's making the argument that he's the one who can appeal to conservative voters. You've said some pretty tough things in the last couple of days about your view of whether he's really a conservative. Is he?

Huckabee: Well, let's look at his record. He's a person who a few years ago was on video saying he voted for Paul Tsongas, wasn't a part of that Reagan-Bush thing. He still supports gun control measures that will never sell in the South. He's a recent convert to the sanctity of life. He said that he was a lifetime hunter but never has had a hunting license -- that's going to matter to some people who value the Second Amendment. He's also a person who raised fees in his state by $700 million and, you know, talks about how he never raised taxes. He said he saw Martin Luther King marching with his father -- didn't happen. Said he marched with Martin Luther King himself -- didn't happen. You know, those are issues that are tough to sell, and it certainly would make him a vulnerable candidate and hardly the kind of mark of conservativism that people are used to.

Q: You know, Governor, I've talked to various aides to some of the Republican candidates and have been told frequently that the other Republican candidates don't really like Mitt Romney, and it certainly does seem evident that there is more animosity -- maybe that is too strong a word -- certainly displeasure, with him, than there has been amongst the rest of you with each other. Why do you think that is?

Huckabee: I think most of us regard each other as worthy rivals and honorable warriors. For example, you never saw John McCain, Rudy Giuliani or me attacking one another. Rudy and I are worlds apart on some issues, John McCain and I certainly have strong differences on human life amendment as well as on immigration, but we've been respectful of one another. We also have been pretty straightforward about our own records.

I think what's been difficult is that for many of us, Romney has spent millions of dollars attacking us; when we defend our records, then he'll say, look at these personal attacks. You know, this is big boy baseball, and if you're going to throw a few hard ones at somebody's head, don't expect to walk up to the plate and have them roll it down at your feet -- it's just not going to work like that. If you're going to be president, it's a tough job; it's tough to get there, and you've got to be willing to play the same game.

Q: Of course, the front-runner is John McCain at the moment, and yet you don't say much bad about him. Why is that?

Huckabee: Because I think both John McCain and I want to win this on our own merits, not because we've attacked each other. As I say, there are some differences John McCain and I have about some issues, but John McCain and I have a mutual healthy respect. We know that a civil race within the Republican Party is necessary for the eventual nominee to be able to win against the Democrats, so that's why you have not seen us go after each other. I think both of us believe that the political process is demeaned and it's detrimental when you have people who don't really present their own case, they simply are attacking the other candidates.

Q: Final question, sir. I know you've got to go; I know you are on a tight schedule. You make a very good point that you are leading in several states in the polls and Mitt Romney is not; that you have a strong base of support, certainly among evangelical voters, but some other voters as well, voters who are concerned about taxes. Having said that, though, just theoretically here, if Romney did become the nominee, would you support him?

Huckabee: Oh, I'm going to support the Republican nominee. I mean, I think any of us are going to be better than what is going to be on the other side. I'm a Republican. I believe in our party, I believe in supporting the people in our party, but I'm working still to be that nominee and ultimately expect to be.

Q: OK, thank you so much, Governor Mike Huckabee. Such a pleasure to speak with you. Thanks for joining us.

Huckabee: Thank you, Linda.