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| Michael Dale Huckabee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 54 Governor of Arkansas | |
| In office July 15, 1996 – January 9, 2007 | |
| Lieutenant | Winthrop Paul Rockefeller (1996-2006) |
| Preceded by | Jim Guy Tucker |
| Succeeded by | Mike Beebe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 24, 1955 Hope, Arkansas |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Janet Huckabee |
| Profession | Minister |
| Signature | File:Huckabeesig.png |
Michael Dale "Mike" Huckabee (born August 24, 1955 in Hope, Arkansas) was the governor of the U.S. state of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was the third Republican governor of the state since Reconstruction. In November 2005, Time named him one of the five best governors in the U.S. He has officially announced his intentions to set up a presidential exploratory committee for the 2008 election.
Early history
Huckabee was elected Governor of Arkansas Boys State in 1972. He graduated magna cum laude from Ouachita Baptist University, completing his bachelors degree in 2 1/2 years before attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
Prior to his political career, Huckabee was pastor of several Southern Baptist churches in Arkadelphia, Texarkana, and Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He served as President of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention from 1989 to 1991 and as President of a religious-oriented television station.
Early political career
In Huckabee's first political race, he lost to incumbent U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers (D) in 1992, receiving about 40% of the vote. However, that same election saw Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton ascend to the Presidency, thus elevating Lieutenant Governor Jim Guy Tucker to Governor. The 1993 special election was held shortly after the general election; having considerable name recognition from the general election, Huckabee won the special election and became the second Republican since Reconstruction to serve as Arkansas lieutenant governor. As the only Republican in statewide office, he clashed with Democratic leaders over many issues. Nonetheless, Huckabee was re-elected to a full term as lieutenant governor in 1994.
Governor of Arkansas
Ascent to governor
On 15 July 1996 he was sworn in as Governor of Arkansas to fill the vacancy created by Governor Jim Guy Tucker's resignation because of a felony conviction in the Whitewater scandal. This was a dramatic moment for Arkansas as Tucker at first resigned, and then rescinded his resignation as Huckabee was preparing to be sworn in. For a short while the event had the makings of a constitutional crisis not seen in Arkansas since the Brooks-Baxter War in the 19th century. Within a few hours Tucker reinstated his resignation, and Huckabee was sworn in.
Soon after taking office, Huckabee signed legislation creating ARKids First, a health insurance program designed to provide insurance to children of families who could not qualify for Medicaid but could not afford private insurance. He signed legislation to cut taxes, and simplified the automobile registration procedure.
First full term
In November 1998, Huckabee was elected to a full four-year term, receiving the highest percentage of votes for a Republican seeking statewide office in Arkansas history. He defeated Jonesboro attorney Bill Bristow in the general election and retired Colonel Gene McVay of Fort Smith in the primary.
At the beginning of his first full term, Huckabee led a public relations campaign for a bond program to pay for road reconstruction (Arkansas had, at that time, the lowest-rated highway system among the 50 states). Arkansas voters had traditionally shied away from public debt, having experienced a major bond scandal that affected the state's finances for the latter half of the 19th century. This time, however, the voters approved Huckabee's program.
Huckabee also led a campaign to dedicate via constitutional amendment 1/8 of one cent of the state sales tax to improvement of the state's park system and natural resources, which had fallen into serious disrepair (and was an embarrassment for a state billing itself as "The Natural State"). As part of the campaign Huckabee (an avid outdoorsman) traveled the entire length of the Arkansas River (the part within Arkansas) by boat.
In 2000, Huckabee also led a campaign to funnel 100% of the state's tobacco settlement revenues into the state's health care system, rather than into the general fund (as other states had done, where it could be used for non-health related purposes).
Second full term
In November 2002 he was reelected to another four-year term (due to term limits, this was his final term as governor). By the end of that term, Huckabee owned the third-longest tenure of any Arkansas Governor (only Democrats Orval Faubus, who served 6 consecutive 2-year terms (1955-1967), and Bill Clinton, who served 11 years, 11 months (1979-1981; 1983-1992), had longer tenures).
He was made the chair of the Southern Governors' Association in 1999 and served in that capacity through 2000. He has chaired the Southern Growth Policies Board, the Southern Region Education Board, the Southern Technology Council, and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, and currently serves as Chair of the Education Commission of the States. He is also a member of the Republican Governors Association and former Chairman of the National Governors Association.
On November 21, 2002, the Arkansas State Supreme Court declared that the state's school funding procedure was unconstitutional and ordered the state to produce a fair system. Huckabee proposed a controversial plan that would consolidate many of the state's smaller school districts. School consolidation is very unpopular in rural Arkansas and may be the "third rail" of Arkansas politics. Huckabee's plan was not accepted by the legislature, and the court order has not yet been satisfied.
After Hurricane Katrina made landfall and numerous evacuees fled to Arkansas (the total number was estimated at around 70,000), Huckabee ordered state agencies to "take care of those human needs first and worry about the paperwork later". State parks offered deep discounts, waived pet restrictions, and bumped other reservations in favor of evacuees. Pharmacists were given emergency authority to dispense prescriptions and provide access to dialysis machines. Shelters opened up in nearly every portion of the state, and Huckabee requested that the entire state be declared a disaster area. Many of these shelters, either closed or set to close, were reopened or kept open to process a "second wave" of Katrina evacuees being moved from Texas in the wake of arriving Hurricane Rita. (See also Hurricane Katrina disaster relief).
In early 2006, Huckabee - along with fellow governors Rick Perry (R-TX); Jim Doyle (D-WI); and Dave Freudenthal (D-WY) - travelled to the Middle East and South Asia as part of Department of Defense-sponsored trip to provide the state leaders with an idea of the conditions under which American forces are serving. While visiting Baghdad and Tikrit, Huckabee and the governors received briefings from Gen. George Casey and Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad.
Health advocacy and personal weight loss
When elected governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee was significantly overweight. During 2003, physicians diagnosed the governor with adult-onset diabetes and informed him that he would not live more than 10 years if he did not lose weight. This diagnosis (as well as the subsequent death of former Governor Frank D. White, whose obesity led to a fatal heart attack) shocked the governor into reflecting on his own mortality, and his ability to serve as the governor of Arkansas. Huckabee subsequently lost over 110 pounds through a disciplined diet and exercise, according to a New York Times article at a pace so rapid that "it was as if he simply unzipped a fat suit and stepped out." The governor now wakes up at approximately 5 a.m. for a five-mile jog, and he and his wife routinely packs his own healthy meals for lunch and dinner in a portable cooler--even when attending political, ceremonial, or fund-raising events.
He has publicly recounted his previous burdens as an overweight man: the steps of the Arkansas capitol building from the entrance of the building up to the Governor's office were so long and steep that Huckabee would be out of breath and exhausted by the time he reached the top of the stairs; Huckabee secretly feared that he would be interviewed by media at the top of the steps, and that he would be unable to respond appropriately due to his overexertion and breathlessness.
Huckabee has trumpeted his weight loss and made health care reform a major component of his later tenure as governor, promoting both his own life story as well as his decision to dedicate 100% of tobacco settlement proceeds to health-related issues. This has included a well-received series of productive dialogues between leaders in the food industry and leaders in public health.
Huckabee ran in the 2006 New York City Marathon.
Criticisms
Huckabee has been criticized for his support of creationism. He was quoted in July 2004 on "Arkansans Ask," his regular show on the Arkansas Educational Television Network: "I think that students also should be given exposure to the theories not only of evolution but to the basis of those who believe in creationism." Huckabee also stated "I do not necessarily buy into the traditional Darwinian theory, personally."
Huckabee drew criticism in October 2006 for referring to his significant weight loss as being the result of a stay at "a concentration camp held by the Democrat Party of Arkansas".
In November 2006, both Huckabee and his wife drew criticism for creating wedding registries in the amount of over $6000 at both the Target and Dillard's web sites, in conjunction with a housewarming party to celebrate a new $525,000 house they had purchased in Little Rock. The Arkansas Times, which first reported the story, noted that wedding gifts represent one of the exceptions to a $100 cap on gifts to political leaders under Arkansas law. Huckabee claimed that the registries were intended only for those who were invited to the event, that he was not involved in organizing the event, and that they were classified as wedding registries only because those sites did not have separate categories for housewarming parties.
Huckabee has also been criticized for his fiscal record as governor having increased state spending 65.3% from 1996 to 2004 and supporting numerous tax hikes as Governor. The Cato Institute, a libertarian non-profit public policy research foundation, gave him an F grade for spending and tax policy in 2006, and an overall grade of D for his governorship.
Wayne Dumond, who was convicted for the rape of Ashley Stevens, a Forrest City high school student, was released from prison in Arkansas, allegedly by pressure from Huckabee, and subsequently sexually assaulted and murdered a Missouri woman.
Books
Huckabee has authored or co-authored five books:
- Character is the Issue (1997), a memoir (inspired by the crisis surrounding the incidents prior to his taking office as governor)
- Kids Who Kill (1998), a book about juvenile violence (inspired by the Jonesboro massacre, which took place during his tenure as governor)
- Living Beyond Your Lifetime (2000), a guide for leaving a personal legacy
- Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork (2005), a health and exercise inspirational guide (based on his personal health experience) Publisher: Center Street
- From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 Stops to Restoring America's Greatness (2007) Publisher: Center Street
Huckabee also wrote the foreword to My Story Your Story His Story (2006) by Larry Toller
Presidential ambitions
On January 27, 2007, the Associated Press reported that Huckabee planned to file papers to form a presidential exploratory committee. He annouced his run for the White House on "Meet The Press" on January 28, 2007.
NewsMax.com reported January 29,2007 that the 51-year-old Huckabee, who took over as governor at the height of Bill Clinton's Whitewater scandal, had told The Associated Press "I think this is an opportunity to show the American dream is still alive and there's hope and optimism that can be awakened in a lot of people's lives if they think that a person like me can run and actually become president"
Trivia
- Appeared on Canadian comedian Rick Mercer's show Talking to Americans where he congratulated the Canadian government on building a dome over its "national igloo" (apparently a downsized version of the United States Capitol) to protect it from global warming.
- Plays bass guitar in a band called Capitol Offense. Their performance in New Hampshire on August 10, 2006 was shown on C-SPAN. In early 2007, the band played at a National Governors Association staff party in Des Moines, Iowa.
- Appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on January 10, 2007.
- Mentioned on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on January 23, 2007 after a CNN poll showed Huckabee polling at 1%, with a margin of error of ±5%. "According to that poll, Mike Huckabee might be imaginary." --Jon Stewart--
- Ouachita Baptist University recently renamed its School of Education the Michael D. Huckabee School of Education. In addition, his hometown of Hope named a recently-completed lake inside its Fair Park after Huckabee and his wife.
- Huckabee was 1 of 10 recipients of a 2006 American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Impact Award acknowledging his work as a "Health Crusader".
- Huckabee has run the 2005 Marine Corps Marathon, the 2005 and 2006 Little Rock Marathon, and the 2006 New York City Marathon. The 2005 Little Rock Marathon had a contest between Huckabee and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack (D). Huckabee completed the marathon in 4:38:31, defeating Vilsack by 50 minutes. (Interestingly, Huckabee was assigned runner number "2008").
Notes and references
- "Official biography". Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- "AR Kids First website". Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- "www.state.ar.us/governor/media/columns/text/c07052003.html". Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- "www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2006/02/02/News/333735.html". Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- "MSNBC article". Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- "Washington Post article". Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- "New York Times article". Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- "www.state.ar.us/governor/media/radio/text/r07242004.html". Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- Brian Wansink and Mike Huckabee (2005), “De-Marketing Obesity,” California Management Review, 47:4 (Summer), 6-18.
- Jane McManus (November 5, 2006). "At NYC Marathon, there's no telling who you may run into". The Journal News.
- "Arkansas Ask". Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- DeMillo, Andrew (2006-10-20). "Ark. Governor Criticized Over Joke". Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-01-24.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - "Gifts solicited for Gov. Huckabee", Arkansas Times, November 11, 2006
- "Arkansas Governor Defends Gift Registry", Associated Press
- "Club for Growth page on Huckabee". Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- "About Cato". Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- ""CATO Governors Report Card"". Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- "Arkansas Times article". Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- "Former Gov. Huckabee to jump into 2008 race". Associated Press, January 27, 2007
- "Mike Huckabee Launches Presidential Bid". NewsMax.com, January 29, 2007.
- Williamson, Jim (2007-01-30). "Huckabee files official paperwork: Former governor uses bass guitar skills as undertone for economic policy". Texarkana Gazette. WEHCO Media, Inc. Retrieved 2007-02-01.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
See also
External links
- Exploratory Committee
- Mike Huckabee President 2008 blog Huckabee for President grassroots blog
- On the Issues - Mike Huckabee issue positions and quotes
- Follow the Money - Mike Huckabee campaign contributions for the 2002 Governor race
- The New York Times - Mike Huckabee News news stories and commentary
- Huckabee for president?, Arkansas Times, September 22, 2005
- AARP Impact Award article
- Life Extension Magazine: Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, A New State of Health for America
- Stop Mike Huckabee
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas stating "Mike Huckabee was born on August 24, 1955, in Hope (Hempstead County), the son of Dorsey W. and Mae (Elder) Huckabee."
- Mike Huckabee on Charlie Rose
| Preceded byJim Guy Tucker | Governor of Arkansas 1996–2007 |
Succeeded byMike Beebe |
| Governors of Arkansas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Territorial (1819–1836) |  | |
| State (from 1836) |
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