Mike Huckabee joins GOP presidential race

Show Caption Hide Caption Mike Huckabee set to announce presidential run in 2016 | Why It Matters USA TODAY's Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page explains four reasons why Mike Huckabee's presidential run matters.

Mike Huckabee launched his second run for the Republican presidential nomination by promising to take the nation "from hope to higher ground'' and emphasizing his ability to work with Democrats while he was governor of Arkansas.

"I learned how to govern and I learned how to lead,'' he said Tuesday at his announcement in Hope, Ark., the hometown he shares with former president Bill Clinton.

Huckabee's wide-ranging, folksy speech included a call to replace all federal taxes with a sales tax, criticism of trade pacts that he said would undermine U.S. workers' wages and a defense of Social Security, saying that Congress should "end their own ... pensions,'' rather than changing the national retirement system.

"Power and money and political influence have left a lot of Americans lagging behind,'' he said,

Huckabee's opposition to citizenship for illegal immigrants and to Common Core educational standards is in sync with the rest of the crowded Republican presidential field.

Mike Huckabee: 'I am a candidate' Mike Huckabee announces presidential run from his hometown of Hope, Arkansas.

But Huckabee, who left the governor's office in 2007, took a shot at his Republican rivals who are running for president while holding elected office — a group that includes Sens. Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul.

"If you live off the government payroll and you want to run for an office other than the one you've been elected to, at least have the integrity and decency to resign the one you don't want any more,'' he said.

The one-time radio broadcaster, Baptist preacher and Fox News host appealed to evangelical Christian voters, saying the nation "has lost our way morally'' because abortion and same-sex marriage are legal. He called for term limits for Congress and the federal judiciary. "The Supreme Court is not the Supreme Being and they cannot overturn the laws of nature or of nature's God.''

For his first campaign swing, Huckabee will spend Wednesday and Thursday in Iowa and then head to South Carolina, where evangelical voters are more prevalent than in New Hampshire.

In 2008, Huckabee surprised the GOP establishment with his victory in the Iowa caucuses. The former Arkansas governor eventually won eight states, mostly in the South, but he didn't have the resources to topple eventual nominee John McCain.

This time, Huckabee vows he'll be competitive, though he said Tuesday he doubted he'd raise as much as other candidates. "I'm not going to be the favorite candidate of those in the Washington-to-Wall Street corridor of power.''

Huckabee, 59, has better favorable ratings in national and statewide surveys than former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Rubio. He is also well-positioned with blue-collar voters, senior citizens and conservatives as well as the evangelical voters who helped fuel his 2008 Iowa victory.​

However, religious conservatives could have several candidates to choose from in 2016 besides Huckabee, such as Walker, Cruz, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, who won the 2012 Iowa caucuses.

Bob Vander Plaats of The Family Leader, an influential conservative group, and Huckabee's 2008 Iowa campaign chairman, said the former Arkansas governor should not be dismissed.

"Huckabee has a great chance to repeat what he did in 2008, but his campaign will have to be different," Vander Plaats said. "When people know you and you're an established figure, you have to have campaign apparatus and money."

In his Fox News interview with Bret Baier, Huckabee did not declare Iowa as a must-win but said he'll need to set a tone in the early nominating contests.

"I don't think it is all based on one state. But clearly coming out of Iowa with momentum is important," he said. "We need to do well in South Carolina. We need to show that we at least are competing in New Hampshire."

As governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007, Huckabee was a foil to the Clinton administration. He has said it is "fair play" to judge Hillary Clinton for her record as a senator and secretary of State, and not by Bill Clinton's personal life.

After the 2008 presidential campaign, Huckabee turned to broadcasting full-time and became well-known to conservatives through his own Fox News show. He has been a popular draw as a speaker and book author.

Huckabee flirted with running in 2012 but ultimately decided against it. He quit his Fox News show in January to consider the 2016 race.

Huckabee's latest book — God, Guns, Grits and Gravy — delves into the impact of Washington, New York and Los Angeles on culture, which he dubs "Bubble-ville." With his chatty, folksy style, Huckabee offers his view on the effect government has on people's lives, the dangers of social media, and his take on immigration, China and other issues.

During the campaign, Huckabee can expect questions about raising taxes as Arkansas governor. The anti-tax Club for Growth, which ran ads against him in the 2008 campaign, said Huckabee's "big government record" would stand out negatively in the 2016 field.

The former governor, who now lives in Florida, counters that he balanced the state budget every year for 10 years, cut welfare and raised average family income by 50%.

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