Huckabee Campaign Press Release - War Room Update: Jan. 30 Edition

By Jack Sisson, Director of Research and Rapid Response

Wow! What an amazing weekend, and we still have Sunday! The War Room has been working hard, but GMH, JH and our arsenal of volunteers have been hounding even harder! 48 hours to go till caucus night!

Three great videos you must check out=>

HUCK is NOT for SALE…. https://youtu.be/RVB-EGl_t6c

HUCK brings folks to tears with his veterans message…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikdUv5cx4SA&feature=youtu.be

HUCK on the pro-life movement… http://www1.cbn.com/thebrodyfile/archive/2016/01/30/brody-file-exclusive-mike-huckabee-says-as-president-hes-prepared

A few clips below…….=>

Huckabee: 'Stunning upset' possible Monday night—He told his supporters, 'let's shock the world ... with a big surprise victory'—Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier…….URBANDALE -- Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee exhorted his supporters Saturday to help him "shock the world" with an unexpected top-tier finish in Monday's 2016 leadoff Iowa precinct caucuses. "We are not just hanging on, we are fighting to the end and I want you to believe that there is a real possibility for a stunning upset," Huckabee told a gathering of family, friends, elected officials and backers from all over the country who gathered at his headquarters for a final rush of phone calls, door knocking and media interviews aimed at convincing Iowans to support his presidential bid….Huckabee said he isn't the only one expecting good things Monday in a state he called "ground zero" for his campaign the past month. He noted that Gov. Terry Branstad advised earlier in the week for people to keep their eyes Huckabee as somebody who might post a surprise finish similar to an upset GOP Iowa caucus win he engineered in 2008…."There is nobody who is a more astute observer of Iowa politics," said Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor who noted Branstad has never lost an election in Iowa and currently is the longest-serving U.S. governor in history…."We're going to prove that he is not only a great politician, but he is a prophet of biblical proportions," Huckabee said at the start of his "super Saturday" of campaigning activities that included a visit to a shooting range to "get out a little frustration." It was his second campaign stop at the Johnston gun shop….Huckabee has been "all in" in Iowa, where he has visited all 99 counties -- some more than once -- after he began the final month of campaigning leading up to the Feb. 1 caucuses with the expectation he would have to end among Iowa's top three finishers to stay in the race for the 2016 GOP nomination….."Folks, we've got a lot of work to do, a short time to do it," he told his supporters Saturday, "let's shock the world on Monday night. Let's come out with a big surprise victory."….Huckabee later told reporters he has to be "up in the top of the cluster" but he said expectations are "sky high" for some of the other GOP frontrunners, which may make them more vulnerable in Monday's caucus outcome….."If they don't end up winning, people are going to say 'maybe there was just more air that there was juice,' so that's an issue for them," he said….."For me, we've got to exceed the expectations. I think we have a real opportunity to be a contender on Monday night. We could win. It's not inconceivable at all that a person that nobody is picking to be in the top two or three ends up winning the Iowa caucuses," he added. "We've put most of our resources and investments here in Iowa. I believe we have a shot to pull this off."

"Huckabee note to daughter draws tears", Des Moines Register—...Mike Huckabee brought tears to the eyes of his daughter Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Saturday with a note he penned on a paper shooting target. "To Sarah — my little girl — and always a straight shooter — she hits the bullseye of her Daddy's heart!" Sanders, who is her father's campaign manager, wiped tears from eyes as she read the note. "I didn't expect to come to the shooting range and cry," she said to no one in particular. Huckabee, his wife Janet, and about a dozen campaign staffers and friends spent about 45 minutes Saturday afternoon shooting targets at CrossRoads Shooting Sports in Johnston. The range has been a popular place for Republican presidential candidates to visit.

Huckabee: 'The people of Iowa know me' Des Moines Register—...While many candidates running for president crisscrossed Iowa Saturday, Mike Huckabee met with volunteers, did media interviews and spent more than an hour at a Johnston shooting range…."We've already been to the far corners of the state and to every county," Huckabee told The Des Moines Register Saturday afternoon. The media interviews will "reach more people than we would have reached if we had gone back to places we were two weeks ago." Huckabee has spent 73 days in Iowa since May when he announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. The former Arkansas governor on the 2008 Iowa caucuses, garnering nearly 41,000 votes, the most ever for a Republican. Huckabee has been back to the state every year since 2008, he said. "The people of Iowa know me — I've kept coming back here and I've been in their homes on weekends," said Huckabee, who for several years hosted a show on Fox News. "They don't know some of these other guys ... and they're starting to have questions." Huckabee on Sunday afternoon will host a town hall gathering with Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley; Sunday evening the campaign is hosting an exclusive showing of the yet-to-be released moving "God is Not Dead 2." Demand for the free tickets prompted the campaign to rent a second theater, Huckabee said….Earlier Saturday, Huckabee meet with campaign volunteers, several from out of state. One was Gil Buenrostro, who vowed in 2008 to do whatever he could to help Huckabee become president if he ever ran again for the office… Buenrostro has a wedge-shaped red, white and blue vinyl banner that reads "Mike Huckabee For President 2016" on the top of his green-gray Volkswagon Passat. Buenrostro, of Clearwater, Fla., has been driving around the country with the nearly 3-foot tall sign on his vehicle since spring...He estimates he's put about 30,000 miles on his Passat, which is missing the "A" and "T" from the vehicle name above the rear bumper. On Saturday, Buenrostro and his wife Jeanette were at Huckabee's Iowa headquarters in Urbandale…."People stop us a lot," Buenrostro said. "I hardly ever find anyone who doesn't like the governor. So when the media says he's not on top, I find it hard to believe."..."One of the things I always remind people — at least the East Coast media — is that people never pick exactly what is going to happen," Huckabee told supporters. "They get it wrong every four years. And folks, we are not just hanging on, we're fighting to the end….."I want you to believe there is a real possibility for a stunning upset and it's just not me saying that. Gov. Terry Branstad said the person who might surprise people is Mike Huckabee," the candidate said as the room erupted in applause and whistles.

Huckabee Keeps the Faith as Iowa Caucuses Near—Time Magazine….Mike Huckabee may be feeling like a zombie, but he's still got some fight left in him. At least that was the message from the former Arkansas Governor during a meeting with supporters Saturday morning at his campaign headquarters in Urbandale, Iowa...Huckabee began the day with a story, with his three-year-old granddaughter clinging to his side in an oversized campaign T-shirt…..."Thursday night we were up very late because we had a lot of late interviews after the debate and then the veterans rally, and got about three hours of sleep yesterday," he said. "But we had appearances all day long, and by the end of the day the three guys traveling with me we were all like zombies by about 5 o clock. … By the time we started wrapping things up, it was truly we were thinking we should inject high-octane coffee in our veins. And it was the night that we had committed that we would keep our granddaughter Scarlett. So we took her to dinner late last night and then we took her home, thinking that she was as tired as we were. Wrong."…..The crowd chuckled and Huckabee wound up for his punchline: "Finally, she was sleepy," he said. "And by then, we were dead."….But exhausted as he is, Huckabee maintains a relentless optimism about his prospects Monday night, at least in front of volunteers and members of the media. "People never pick exactly what's going to happen," he said of Iowa polls. "They get it wrong every four years. And folks, we are not just hanging on, we are fighting to the end. And I want you to believe that there is a real possibility for a stunning upset."….Huckabee supporters and strategists alike seem to share his vision. Linda Bauer-Lohmeier was sitting eagerly in the front row, and could barely contain her excitement when Huckabee walked in. She sprang up to hug him and as he walked away she said, almost to herself, "He's my rock star."...Bauer-Lohmeier, 59, grew up in Arkansas and now lives in Peoria. She said she used to schedule her evenings so she could be home to see Huckabee on Fox, and that she supported him in 2008, as well…."I think [Huckabee] hasn't gotten as much publicity, but things like this help a lot. I'm expecting him to do well. He did well last time, and I think people will get wise and realize we need a strong person that's not a show person." Pat Harris, 62, is another die-hard Huckabee fan who was with him on the trail in 2008. But her loyalty runs even deeper: she's also his sister. "At this point, familiar," she joked, when asked what it's like having a sibling run for president…..."Everybody loves him. I think they're just so confused because there are so many candidates," Harris said of what she's seen in Iowa this year…..As for why her brother isn't getting nearly the traction in the state that he did in 2008, she said, "I don't know. And that's honest. I don't get it. Because I can't find anybody that'll step up and say, Here's what's wrong with your brother. And people that don't know that I'm kin, or they do or whatever, they'll all say, Well I really like the Huckabee guy. Well are you going to caucus for him? Well I don't know," she said, imitating conversations she's had with voters….Still, she's hopeful about Monday night. "They don't know who they're going to be for," she said of Iowans. "So they may be for him."

FANTASTIC Debate Answer=> Poverty: "I know a little bit about poverty. My sister is here tonight. Both of us can tell you we both did not grow up rich. My mother grew up in a house—the oldest of seven kids. She had lived in a house that didn't have floors. Just dirt. No electricity. No running water. I resent it when people say, 'Oh, people are poor because they want to be.' No, they are not. Nobody wants be poor. And that's a stupid, foolish thing, mean thing to say. People are poor because they don't know how to get out of the hole. And government shouldn't push them back in the hole." => Iowa Manufacturing: "The other day I was in Newton, Iowa. It used to be a vibrant place where Maytag washers and dryers were built...There was a guy in my forum that day who lost his job….Let me ask you, how many people do you think living around the Beltway know a guy like that, care about a guy like that?...People who live in bubbles of the New York world of high finance, the government world of Washington, and the entertainment world of Hollywood don't have a clue about how hard people out here in Iowa are working every single day." => Hello Iowa: "This week there was a little dust-up about a video we put together with music of Adele. So I thought it would be appropriate for me to begin tonight by saying, 'Hello, Iowa. It's me!' You gave me the largest number of votes in the history of the Iowa caucuses eight years ago. I think you did it because you trusted me. You believed that I had your best interest at heart. When I was governor, I had a plaque in my office. And it said this, 'Come. Let us reason together.' I believe the next president needs to put that plaque in the Oval Office. And needs to lead this country by saying, 'Come. Let us reason together.'

"Parkersburg mayor backs Huckabee" — Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier ... PARKERSBURG, Iowa - Parkersburg Mayor Perry Bernard announced Thursday he is endorsing Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. "It's time for our country to restore the United States and reject the divided states we have been moving towards," Bernard said in a statement. "America needs Gov. Huckabee's moral clarity, executive leadership and conviction in the White House." Bernard continued that he shares the same values as Huckabee, and uses them to run the community of Parkersburg. "As president, I'll lead America with conviction, common-sense and moral clarity, and I'm excited to have Mayor Perry Bernard's support in our final push before the Iowa caucuses," Huckabee said in a statement. Huckabee is a former governor of Arkansas and was the 2008 winner of the Iowa caucuses.

Iowa Gazette "Mike Huckabee is good for country's future"… "Apparently, many Iowans have not decided who to vote for. Perhaps, it's because they haven't settled on the most important criteria for making a choice…I believe character and experience are critically important qualifications for the person we elect for the president of the United States. So, we should be asking ourselves: Which candidate can we trust and who has the integrity, values and experience needed to make wise decisions?….As governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee cut taxes, balanced the budget, increased family income, fought for life, family, marriage and religious liberty; and he defeated the Clinton machine. As president, he will work to rebuild U.S. military superiority, restore our country's role as leader of the free world and defeat the evil forces of radical Islam. He will pass a FairTax and abolish the IRS (an annual cost to the taxpayers of $431 billion). He will protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare. And, he will defend the Second Amendment, oppose new gun control laws and protect the rights of gun owners. He says, "This issue is crystal clear. Abolishing guns because of reckless abusers makes as much sense as abolishing cars because a drunken driver kills someone." He opposes amnesty for immigrants here illegally and supports securing the border. He supports traditional marriage, parental rights, rights of unborn children and home schooling. He's a great communicator; he says what he means and he means what he says. Let's assure our county's future by supporting Huckabee for president. -Gary Fischer, Iowa City"

"Huckabee: Cruz is a chronic flip-flopper who can't be trusted" — CNN ... Washington (CNN) -Mike Huckabee painted Ted Cruz as a non-stop flip-flopper Friday, saying that raised questions about whether the Texas Republican can be trusted. "Ted Cruz has changed his positions on ethanol, immigration, H-1B visas. He's changed it on whether marriage is a state or a federal issue. He's changed it on whether he's going to be a real champion for religious liberty or whether that's going to be way down the road and it's not important," Huckabee told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day." "I think it's pretty clear while Ted Cruz has questioned the integrity of a lot of different candidates on that stage, if you look at how many different things, including trade -- he wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal saying it was the greatest thing since toothpaste, then he came out when the political wind shifted and said he was against it." ... Huckabee, who has repeatedly accused Cruz of offering varying stances on issues to different audiences, said that when a candidate shifts positions so frequently it raises an issue of whether voters can trust that person. "When people change their views depending on geography of where they happen to be, if they say one thing in Manhattan and another thing in Marshalltown, Iowa, that's when you start wondering whether you can trust them," Huckabee said on "New Day." "When a person changes views time after time and is always moving with the political wind vane, when a person is a thermometer instead of a thermostat, that person is not a leader and, no, you cannot trust them."

"Huckabee, Santorum Unite With Donald Trump at Iowa Fundraiser Raising $6M for Veterans" — CP Politics ... In a rare show of solidarity Donald Trump's Republican presidential rivals Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum joined the billionaire frontrunner Thursday night at a benefit event for veterans in Iowa, which raised some $6 million for several veteran organizations. "Rick Santorum, Donald Trump and I may be competitors in a presidential race, but tonight, we are colleagues in unison, standing here for the people who let us breathe every breath of free air that we breathe," said Huckabee after Trump invited him to speak at the podium….."It says something about him that he would bring us here to his own event because bigger than even the election is the fact that we wouldn't have free elections in this country if it weren't for the people who stood between bullets, bombs, and our freedom," said Huckabee who told Trump "thank you" for the invitation. "I want to say how grateful I am to Donald Trump for inviting us here because the easy thing for him to do is to simply ignore that anybody else cares about veterans and he is not that kind of person…..

"Huckabee looks for Iowa revival" — ArkansasOnline ... URBANDALE, Iowa - Trailing badly in all of the polls, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is counting on friends from Arkansas and voters in Iowa to help him shock the pollsters and keep his presidential hopes alive. Borrowing a racetrack analogy, he says it's possible the front-runners will hit a wall or blow a tire before reaching Monday's finish line. Thursday, Arkansas Treasurer Dennis Milligan and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge arrived at Huckabee 2016 headquarters in Urbandale, Iowa, and prepared to join the final push. They were joined by former South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, Home Improvement actor Jimmy Labriola and a host of Huckabee's relatives. "This is the insane part of the Iowa caucus as we get to the funnel," Huckabee said before exiting the office Thursday afternoon. "Every four years, nobody really knows what's going to happen until it happens." Unlike eight years ago, when he won the Iowa caucuses, this time there aren't hordes of reporters trailing Huckabee wherever he goes. Right now, he concedes, the throngs are chasing New York billionaire Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, focusing on that increasingly heated rivalry. "There's a focus on that battle that is unquestionable, but there's also the possibility that people will say, 'I'm tired of that.' That's our strategy. In a NASCAR race, if you're driving around the track and there's some folks in front of you and they have a car wreck, you can go get the checkered flag," Huckabee said. Finishing first isn't essential, he suggested. "There are some of us that need to exceed the expectations, which for me, right now, are not high," he said. "There are others, for example, Cruz. If he doesn't win here, then this inevitability stuff is gone and I think he has as much to lose here as we do here." Campaign staff members say they're reaching out to undecided voters and that there are positive signs as the vote nears. "The last couple of days on the ground, we've seen more people coming to our events. I'd say the volume has been turned up a little bit. You can tell people are starting to make some decisions," said campaign senior adviser Chip Saltsman. There's ground to make up between now and Monday. "Look, we know where we are in the world. We're not the front-runner right now. We know we've got to close like a freight train, but the good news is there's been a lot of people in Iowa that's voted for him before and they know who he is," Saltsman said. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the governor's daughter and his campaign manager, said he needs "a strong showing," adding, "We need to beat expectations and I think we'll do it." It's a good sign, she said, that so many volunteers are showing up at Huckabee headquarters. Thursday, dozens of supporters traveled to the site, sandwiched between Midwest Mattress and Hungry Boyz restaurant, in strip-mall country 10 miles northwest of Des Moines. As others loaded up on a free barbecue luncheon, Labriola, the actor and comedian, earnestly praised his friend from Arkansas. The TV star appeared on Huckabee's TV show a few years ago; he says they quickly became pals. "What I love about him is the realness. What you see is what you get and, obviously, he has a great sense of humor or I couldn't hang with him, no matter who he was," the New York native said. "I really believe he could be the Reagan of our time, what we really need. So I'm willing to do whatever I can." Huckabee's Arkansas allies said they'll also do anything they can to help. "If it means sweeping the floor, I'll be jumping in sweeping the floors," Milligan said. "Mike's been a great leader for Arkansas, a great influence on me and we're just proud to be up here helping him out any way that we possibly can. He's demonstrated a great ability to be able to lead our state and I have no doubt in my mind he's very capable of leading our country." Although Huckabee later joked about getting a broom for Milligan, campaign officials said Milligan's primary task, at least Monday evening, would be to speak on the candidate's behalf at one of the caucus sites. Thursday, Milligan and Rutledge had tickets to the night's Republican debates and were scheduled to appear and praise Huckabee's performance later in the evening. Officials have printed "talking points" to help Huckabee surrogates make their case in the coming days, but Rutledge didn't refer to them as she praised Hope's most famous Republican earlier in the day. "Gov. Huckabee's experience. No one can match it," she said, praising Huckabee's decade of leadership and his ability to work with Democrats as well as Republicans. "That's what Americans are fed up with right now. They're fed up with government not working and the divisiveness that we see in Washington and he has a proven record of reaching across the aisle, working with people to get things done. ... He did amazing work in Arkansas and he needs the opportunity to do that across America." In addition to Arkansas elected officials, Huckabee family members also have been deployed and will speak on his behalf at caucus gatherings Monday evening. The ex-governor's sister, Pat Harris of Bryant, said she's been told she can stray from the talking points, because "they'd rather we speak from our hearts." The retired schoolteacher gave a similar speech here in 2008, the night Huckabee claimed victory. Asked how her brother will do this time, Harris said "I truly have no idea. We're more about miracles than math, so we'll just have to see. All you can do is do your best, keep a happy face and keep rolling."

"Overwhelming Response to Huckabee's 'God's Not Dead' Screening in Iowa Leads to Second Showing" — TownHall.com ... Religious freedom has proven to be a popular concept in Iowa. Not long after Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign announced they would be offering a pre-release screening of the film "God's Not Dead 2" for Iowans on the eve of the caucuses, they find themselves having to offer a second screening to meet the overwhelming demand. Tickets sold out within just 24 hours. The sequel to "God's Not Dead" tells the story of a history teacher, Grace Wesley (Melissa Joan Hart), who is punished for answering a student's question about Jesus. Because she spoke about Him in the classroom, she was forced to the courtroom. Huckabee, who makes a cameo in the film, said the story is a good reminder why this year's election is so important to "preserving religious liberty." Producer and Pure Flix Entertainment founding partner Michael Scott echoed Huckabee's comments, insisting the film offers a "critical" message for today's culture: "Cases like these - where the religious freedoms of everyday men and women are being restricted by courts and government agencies - are sadly quite common today," explained Scott. "Our hope is that we can start a conversation in the country with this movie about how critical the right to believe, and to talk about that belief in public, is to our nation." Check out this exclusive clip from the film, in which Grace's lawyer Tom Endler, played by Jesse Metcalfe, boldly asks the principal if Christians are excluded from the "tolerance" her school supposedly preaches. It's encouraging that so many people are excited to see a film that teaches how important it is to stand up for one's faith. Seats are limited. To sign up for the screening, participants are encouraged to visit MikeHuckabee.com/godsnotdead.

"SD Senator Mike Rounds Sticking by Mike Huckabee for President" — WNAX Radio 570 ...South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds is sticking with [Mike Huckabee] ... Rounds says he thinks economic questions will determine the Presidential winner in November.

"Huckabee releases weekend schedule" — The Des Moines Register ... Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee spent much of Friday morning making the rounds to the morning cable news shows that have set up temporary sets around downtown Des Moines. Beginning before sunrise, Huckabee made appearances on MSNBC, CNN, and two Fox News shows. He fielded questions about Thursday's debate and his appearance at Donald Trump's fundraiser for veterans. The following is Huckabee's schedule for the weekend: FRIDAY: Des Moines: 8 p.m., ONE Campaign Countdown to Caucus, West End Salvage, 22 Ninth St. The ONE Campaign, begun by Bono, is an international nonprofit, advocacy organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease, especially AIDS in Africa. SATURDAY: Urbandale: 9 a.m., Super Saturday with Gov. Mike Huckabee at campaign headquarters, 3100 100th St.; Johnston: 2 to 4 p.m., at shooting range with campaign surrogates, Crossroads Shooting Sports, 5550 Johnston Drive. SUNDAY: West Des Moines: 2:30 to 4 p.m., meet and greet with Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, Inspired Grounds Café, 117 Fifth St.; West Des Moines: 7 p.m., exclusive release of movie "God's Not Dead 2," Jordan Creek Cinemark Theater, 101 Jordan Creek Parkway. The event is freebut seating is limiting. Tickets may be reserved at MikeHuckabee.com/GodsNotDead

"Huckabee Defends Decision to Attend Trump's Veterans' Event" — Newsmax ... GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who dropped in at Donald Trump's veterans' fundraiser…." "Many [of them] are getting gut punched every day by a system who does not want to give them what they not only deserve, but what they desperately need," the former Arkansas governor told CNN's "New Day" program. "None of us want to see a suicide rate of 22 a day, which is just disgraceful in this country." Huckabee said he doesn't understand skeptics who are saying that real policy reform, not special events to use veterans for political reasons, should be the focus. "Last night over $6 million was raised for veterans groups — $6 million towards helping these people," Huckabee said. "The truth is there shouldn't have to be any outside veterans groups to help veterans. There shouldn't be any. That is a responsibility of the United States of America. "They should be getting the first fruits of our treasury. Everyone else ought to wait in line until the veterans gets served and then everyone else lines up behind them. That's not how it is happening. People are waiting three months, six months to get treated." Trump chose not to come to the debate because of his disagreement with Fox News' refusal to remove Megyn Kelly as a moderator, but Huckabee pointed out he showed up and he doesn't "have a beef" with the network, where he had his own show for six and a half years. "They don't treat me any way special because I was there," he said. "Sometimes I feel like they go out of their way making sure I don't get special treatment . . . I offered to take [Trump's] podium last night, which I think they should have let me do. Unfortunately, that didn't go over very well."….Meanwhile, Huckabee told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program that he disagrees with offers from Ted Cruz' super PACs and Carly Fiorina to give veterans' causes millions in exchange for one-on-one debates with Trump. "If it's conditioned upon a debate then is it about the veterans or is it about them getting a debate?" he said. "I went and I got nothing out of it other than just to go and I got — by a lot of people — criticized for showing up at some other candidate's event. "I'm sure that there will be people who say I shouldn't have. In fact, even on my own Facebook page I had criticism from some of my own supporters. But you know what? I didn't ask for anything other than he's going to do a salute to the vets."

The Hill ... Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee says primary rival Ted Cruz cannot be trusted to be a conservative leader in the White House, accusing the Texas senator of flip-flopping on several issues. "Ted Cruz has changed his positions on ethanol, immigration, H-1B visas," Huckabee said Friday on CNN's "New Day." "He's changed it on whether marriage is a state or a federal issue. He's changed it on whether he's going to be a real champion for religious liberty or whether that's going to be way down the road and it's not important," he added. The former Arkansas governor said voters shouldn't trust candidates who repeatedly change their stances based on what's popular.He had previously accused Cruz of hypocrisy for campaigning at the New York penthouse of two gay businessmen, despite his staunch opposition to gay marriage. "When people change their views depending on geography of where they happen to be, if they say one thing in Manhattan and another thing in Marshalltown, Iowa, that's when you start wondering whether you can trust them," Huckabee said Friday. After the GOP primary undercard debate on Thursday night, Huckabee attended an event hosted by Republican primary front-runner Donald Trump.

"A Closing Argument for Mike Huckabee" — Caffeinated Thoughts ... Too often we've defined character too narrowly as if it were only a question of whether a candidate has been faithful to their spouse and avoided trouble with the law. Yet, our character is built one decision at a time over the course of our lives, and these decisions establish patterns. A wise man has said, "You make decisions and those decisions turn around and make you." ...Governor Huckabee decided to be a servant to the people of his state rather than using his office as nothing more than a means to climb the political ladder. We need someone who will serve the people of this nation, not just their own agenda. Aren't you tired of politicians who look at people suffering, losing their jobs, losing their homes, and say, "Never let a good crisis go to waste"? That's how the Obama Administration made a pork-laden stimulus bill that paid off big contributors as its first major "accomplishment." In a similar way, politicians in both parties have refused to secure the border. Instead, they insist Congress pass an amnesty bill that promises to secure the border eventually. Americans are being killed by criminals who entered this country illegally while politicians continue to play games with the lives and safety of the American people. Mike Huckabee believes the safety and security our country isn't a bargaining chip, it is the first responsibility of the President of the United States. The President already has the tools to secure the border. Within one year of taking office, Mike Huckabee would get the job done. Our veterans continue to suffer at the hands of the incompetent VA with waiting lists that go on for months, with many veterans dying while waiting for care. The veterans' problems are barely talked about on the Presidential campaign trail. Why? They may have served our country honorably and been promised care, but they don't have $100 million to give to a Super PAC. To Mike Huckabee, their care is a top priority. They've served us and we owe them the best. Using his experience from governing Arkansas and reforming bureaucracy, he'll reform the VA and end the crisis of long wait times. As a result of the choice to use his office to serve, Governor Huckabee earned the respect of the people of Arkansas. He won four straight statewide elections, which was unprecedented for a Republican. At the same time, ninety percent of his legislative agenda was enacted including education reform, the first broad-based tax cuts, and a partial birth abortion plan. He did this with an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature. Many candidates promise to fight for legislation, but Governor Huckabee has a record of actually winning. In 2008, American conservatives panicked in the midst of the financial crisis. It was hard to find a fiscal conservative who believed consistently in small government. Most of Congress believed only big government could save America's most powerful corporations from going under. President Bush said at the time, "I've abandoned free market principles to save the free market." In contrast, respectfully but forcefully, Mike Huckabee stood against the betrayals of conservative principles that were so readily made during that crisis. Governor Huckabee made a decision to stand for principle rather than to panic. Long before Rick Santelli made his famous rant on CNBC in February 2009 that keyed the start of the Tea Party movement, Governor Huckabee was standing firm against the heavy hand of big government intervention to "save our economy" from the free market. It's easy to be conservative in good times at a conservative conference or in a town hall meeting. It's a crisis that tests your dedication to principle. Presidents are elected for the crisis, and Mike Huckabee has shown he will not lose his head or his principles when times are tough. Governor Huckabee came of age in a time when the South was coming to terms with integration. Mike Huckabee chose time and time again to be a leader in bringing about unity and racial reconciliation. He helped integrate his high school. Then as a young pastor of a small church, he welcomed the church's first Black member. When dealing with a few members who didn't like it, he said, "If he goes, I go." His efforts to serve, reach, and bring healing was reflected in his 1998 re-election bid when he won nearly half of the Black vote in his state. During the last eight years, we've had a President who promised to bring us together, but he has instead torn us apart and stoked the fires of racial hatred and division and set race relations back decades in order to help his political fortunes. Mike Huckabee has had a focus throughout his life and career in bringing healing and reconciliation and as a president will work to heal the damage done by this administration. Governor Huckabee has many great skills that even those who don't agree with him recognize. He's a great public speaker with an ability to emotionally connect with people, and he has more than a decade of executive experience. If he had a huge campaign budget, he'd be unstoppable. And he had a chance for that. Three different billionaires offered to support him through their own contributions and through people they could raise money from. But they wanted him to stop talking about the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of marriage. He refused, and the billionaires chose to endorse other candidates. It's a decision that shows that, if president, Mike Huckabee will be a leader on the issues of life and marriage. The most powerful tool a President has is the bully pulpit, the ability a President has to use the power of his office to advocate for great values and ideas. Mike Huckabee has shown he would use that power well and faithfully. He has shown the willingness to stand up and advocate for traditional values at locations as unfriendly as the View and the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. If you're only willing to advocate for traditional values before a friendly audience, that's not leadership, it's pandering. We can't afford another person in the White House whose looking out for the interests of well-connected special interests. We need a President who cannot be bought, whose interest is doing the right thing for the American people rather than big donors who are looking for a big payoff. Many people who had come to him urging him to run and promised to support him didn't. They were disappointed by the money he hadn't raised, money he could have raised by selling out his principles. The media and the establishment has counted him out. He could have chosen to pack it in, to call it a campaign, and he could have spent two weeks lounging around at his lovely Florida home before restarting his media and public speaking career. Governor Huckabee's made of sterner stuff than that. He chose to endure. He didn't retire from the race, he hit the ground running with 150 events in the month of January in the freezing weather of Iowa. The political insiders and establishment believe in the power of big money and big endorsements to win the day. He's chosen to trust the people of Iowa. He believes on Caucus Night, people will cut through all of the hype and all of the clever packaging. He believes, when people Caucus, they will vote based on hope rather than fear, and they'll think who they can trust with the high responsibility of righting our country after the disastrous age of Obama. Some candidates are trusting in massive campaign contributors and a phalanx of well-healed consultants. Governor Huckabee still believes ordinary citizens working hard for what they believe in can do extraordinary things. Ronald Reagan called America "a shining city on a Hill," and it should be our goal to make it that again. In his Farewell Address, he explained what he meant. "It was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity," and it speaks to our highest hopes and aspirations for America. The question Iowa must answer is, "Who can lead America back to being that sort of city?" Decisions are not only powerful for individuals but parties and states. Eight years ago, the other party held a Caucus and were presented with a lot of promised by a young inexperienced Senator named Barack Obama. He had a big ego and made big promises he couldn't keep but managed to inspire a fan base so fanatical it was more suited to Comic Con than in the political life of a free people. The result has been eight of the most divisive and damaging years in American history. They made a decision that has helped to make America into a gloomier, angrier, and less free nation. Now, eight years later, Republicans have a choice, and it will help make the future of our nation. If Iowa decides for Mike Huckabee, it will decide America needs a proven statesman who will lead our country towards liberty, respect for the inherent worth of every person, and the rule of law1, and away from the hatred, anger, lawlessness, and division stirred up by power-hungry demagogues over the past eight years. Remember, the decision you make will help make the future of our nation.