News
2007-01-31
Gay rights foe
Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor, launches
presidential bid
Conservative
Republican Mike Huckabee, a staunch opponent of same-sex
marriage, said Sunda
Conservative
Republican Mike Huckabee, a staunch opponent of same-sex
marriage, said Sunday he is taking the first step in what he
acknowledged is an underdog bid for the White House in
2008. Huckabee, who left office as Arkansas
governor January 9 after serving 10 1/2 years as
governor of the Democratic-leaning state, faces steep odds
in a crowded GOP field that includes well-known and
well-funded hopefuls like Sen. John McCain of Arizona,
former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, and former
New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.
''One of the reasons that I'm running for
president is because I think that America needs folks
who understand what it is to start at the bottom of
the ladder and climb their way to the top,'' Huckabee said.
''We've got a lot of people who are born on third base
and think they've hit a triple.
''America loves an underdog. America loves
people who have had to struggle and for whom every
rung of the ladder has been sometimes three rungs up
and two back down, thank God for the one you've gained, and
keep climbing,'' Huckabee said.
He planned to travel to Iowa, an early
nominating state, on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The 51-year-old Huckabee, who took over as
governor at the height of Bill Clinton's Whitewater
scandal, comes from Hope, Ark., as does Clinton.
Huckabee is setting up an exploratory committee, which will
allow him to raise money and hire campaign staff in an
effort to gauge his prospects. (AP)
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