Another Republican Governor, Mike Huckabee, will not be joining the Republican race to challenge President in 2012 for the Presidency.
A sociable, voluble, gregarious man (who is literally half the man that he used to be), he held considerable sway over the evangelical vote.
With the distinction of winning the Iowa Caucuses and sweeping a number of Southern states in the primaries, Huckabee could very well have capitalized on his homespun charm and religious connections to make a second run for the White House.
Factors against him included his not-so-stable stance on taxes, his pardon of a convicted killer who went on to offend again (in Oregon). His economic populism also troubled more fiscally-restrained conservatism. Above all, a candidate heavily allied with the Religious Right would have a harder time reaching out to disaffected Democracts, secularists, and independents in a general election.
In the end, Huckabee's departure leaves a large bloc of voters open to courting by a more viable candidate. His pundit support as a Fox News Contributor will boost a lackluster campaign for a worthy candidate or at least highlight the strengths of a future presidential contender.
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