Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R) said he would announce his plans for the 2016 presidential race on May 5 in his hometown of Hope, Arkansas but declared “we know that Iowa is going to be an important part” of the path to the nomination, and “we need to do well in South Carolina. We need to show that we at least are competing in New Hampshire” in an interview broadcast on Friday’s “Special Report” on the Fox News Channel.
“I will announce on May the 5th, in my hometown of Hope, Arkansas, what my plans are going to be and I’ll let everybody — just say come to Hope on May the 5th, you’ll find out what’s going to happen” he stated.
Huckabee added, “I don’t think anybody should enter into a decision that is this monumental, not just for me, but for my entire family, without a lot of prayer, a lot of thoughtful consideration, a lot of consultation with friends and family members, and so all of that is a very important factor in leading up to the decision that I will make and make clear on May the 5th.”
Asked about his path to the nomination, Huckabee said, “we know that Iowa is going to be an important part of that path. There’s going to be an expectation that I will do well there. I don’t know, nor would I declare, ‘I’ve got to win Iowa or I can’t go forward.’ I think that would be absurd, because I don’t think it’s all based on one state, but clearly coming out of Iowa with momentum is important. We need to do well in South Carolina. We need to show that we at least are competing in New Hampshire. It’s a tougher state, because it tends to be maybe a little more to the center and left, and I’m a little more to the right.” And “May 5th is the day I’ll make an announcement and I hope that people will come to Hope, Arkansas, and not just to tour the Bill Clinton birthplace, but there’s going to be an announcement that day and everybody will know for then — for sure whether Mike Huckabee is in the race or not.”
Huckabee concluded, “I think it’s [the town of Hope, Arkansas] symbolic. This is the town that I grew up in. It’s a small town, it’s like so many other places in America. The little red house that I grew up in, just a shotgun red house on Second Street that my dad worked two jobs to pay the rent on, is still standing. I’m amazed it’s still there, but it’s still there. The old high school I went to, still there. A lot of great memories. I think it’ll be worth tuning in for.”
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