Former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas said Saturday night that he would not seek the Republican nomination for president next year in an announcement that had been hotly anticipated — in part because of contradicting hints he gave right up to the minute he finally made his intentions known.

“All the factors say go, but my heart says no,” Mr. Huckabee said on his nighttime program on Fox News Channel. “And that’s the decision that I have made.”

As of Saturday afternoon, even some of Mr. Huckabee’s closest aides did not know what he would say. He kept them waiting as long as possible, making the announcement at the very end of his hourlong 8 p.m. program after interviewing guests including the “Extra” host Mario Lopez and the rock musician Ted Nugent — with whom he jammed on Mr. Nugent’s old hit song “Cat Scratch Fever.” (Mr. Huckabee plays the bass guitar).

Even during his statement, Mr. Huckabee hinted that perhaps he would run. “The past few weeks, the external signs and signals and answers to many of the obstacles point strongly toward running,” he said after citing his strength in recent polls and what he said were hints of strong financial support for any run he might make.