Jubilant Huckabee Thanks Iowa Supporters
Huckabee, with his wife Janet and Chuck Norris, at his post-caucus address in Des Moines. (Reuters)
By Perry Bacon Jr.
DES MOINES--He wasn't working from prepared remarks because, according to Bob Wickers, his longtime media adviser, "No one writes Mike Huckabee's speeches."
So an off-the-cuff Huckabee addressing a crowded hotel ballroom, with the actor Chuck Norris looking on, told his Iowa supporters: "You know I wasn't sure I would ever be able to love a state as much as I love my home state of Arkansas, but tonight, I love Iowa."
"Tonight what we have seen is a new day in American politics," Huckabee said at the Embassy Suites here, a few blocks from the state's capitol. "And tonight it starts in Iowa, but it doesn't end here....it goes to all the other states and ends at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave."
"If this were a marathon," he said behind a sign that said 'We Like Mike', "we've only run half of it, but we've run it well."
Wickers said the combined victories of Obama and Huckabee were significant, as it told voters that it was "okay" to vote for the candidates they found appealing, as opposed to those with more traditional political experience. Huckabee aides have long compared their race to Obama's, believing both candidates offered uplifting positive messages that would in the end appeal to voters.
Huckabee aides said their victory today had much to do with the strong second-place finish in the August straw poll. They said religious conservatives such as author Tim Lahaye, who encouraged local pastors to tell their congregations to turn out, helped, but they credited smaller informal networks like home-schoolers with essentially turning out their voters with very little help from a bare-bones campaign.
The candidate provided much of the juice for that turnout. Huckabee has courted national press nearly all the last week, appearing on several morning shows each day, inviting reporters to see him run and later get a haircut and appearing on "Meet the Press" and Jay Leno.
His aides took a radical view of the Iowa caucuses, believing a candidate could reach voters as easily through national media as with stopping town-by-town as former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney did. His debate performances helped, as did a clever ad with Chuck Norris that was played everywhere and an appearance on Glenn Beck's show that helped him win the conservative vote.
Huckabee was also helped in turnout by two independent groups: Fairtax, which advocates a national sales tax, and a nonprofit called Redeem the Vote that sought to organize conservative Christians.
"He was doing more with less, getting tremendous national media attention through the debates," said Bob Wickers, a top strategist who helped design the Norris ad.
On the night before the caucuses, Wickers, campaign manager Chip Saltsman and the candidate's daughter's Sarah, one of his top aides, were sitting in Sarah Huckabee's office on the second floor of the campaign's Des Moines headquarters, which also happens to be the candidate's only office in the state, eating fried chicken and looking confident, believing the campaign had made the case that Romney was inconsistent and this would help them win on caucus night.
Huckabee's aides pointed to a sharp series of ads, particularly one called "Believe" that dubbed him a "Christian leader," as not only promoting Huckabee, but also making the case that Romney was not a politician of conviction. They pointed to exit poll results showing 33 percent of voters picked "candor" as a top quality in their vote, compared to 14 percent who picked experience and 8 percent who picked "best chance" of winning.
"You can't underestimate the importance of the Believe ad," Wickers said.
The campaign also pointed to what Ed Rollins dubbed "a volunteer army." A staff of almost entirely unpaid people showed up in Iowa after Christmas, and on the Wednesday before the caucus, they made 12,000 calls, 2,000 more than had been the campaign's goal.
"Our ragtag band of activists beat their group of super volunteers," said Charmaine Youst, a top adviser.
Campaign aides also said they felt a much-panned press conference in which Huckabee announced he was pulling a negative ad from the air, only after showing it to dozens of reporters, had communicated the desired effect: Huckabee didn't support negative campaigning. Most of all, they credited the candidate's ability as a speaker for overcoming organizational weakness.
"We always knew our goal was for people to hear him speaking," Youst said.
Now Huckabee looks forward to New Hampshire, where aides are less confident about their candidate's appeal. "It's all no tax, no government there," said Wickers, the top strategist. "It's not ideal." But they believe that Huckabee's message on addressing economic anxieties will help in Michigan and in South Carolina.
Already, Huckabee, who took reporters on a hunting trip and held an event at a store that sells hunting goods, is seeking to expand his base beyond the social conservatives who have powered him here in Iowa.
"He needs to expand his base and he is," said David Beasley, the former governor of South Carolina and a key supporter.
Posted at 10:48 PM ET on Jan 3, 2008
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Posted by: madmom | January 4, 2008 4:58 PM
When Chuck Norris play the game monopoly, it affects the actual World Economy.
Posted by: jkolodi1 | January 4, 2008 1:58 PM
Chuck Norris does not kick ass and take names. In fact, Chuck Norris kicks ass and assigns the corpse a number. It is currently recorded to be in the billions.
Posted by: jkolodi1 | January 4, 2008 1:52 PM
For the Huckabee model in literature, see Greg Stillson in Stephen King's The Dead Zone.
Posted by: nicekid | January 4, 2008 4:58 AM
Congratulations Mike.
In my short life of 34, this is the first time I have ever cared about politics or cared about who deserves the parties endorsement. I watched debates and followed the elections, but the candidates were the same old show over and over.
I watched the first debates this year, and after listening to just a few responses from Mike, I knew we had someone special for the first time running for president. I suddenly became political and interested. I suddenly became a republican.
I have researched every candidate thoroughly, reading everything about them, and watching every video I could find. My decision became final months ago, and I know nothing will change my mind. Mike doesn't have to make one more ad for me. I am voting Mike Huckabee for President with out a single doubt in my mind.
A few days after 9/11, we had had a candle light vigil at the waterfront in Portland Oregon. I decided to put on my Air Force dress uniform and head to the vigil with flag in hand. I was the only one in uniform. I was asked to speak, then to lead the group of hundreds from the water front park to the fire department. There the fire chief passed my flag from member to member and then back around the crowd to return her to my hands. When walking back to my truck, an old man approached me and thanked me for my service. He shook my hand. He told me he had been through a lot of hard times including the harsh times in Korea, and that he was might proud of this country. I gave him my flag and told him it lead the parade tonight, and was passed from hand to hand. He wept. After a few minutes he told me he was honored and then carefully wrapped her up and carried her away. That was the proudest day of my life, because I knew that America meant as much to me as it did each and every other person I met that day.
Mike Huckabee has inspired me more than I can ever tell a person who reads this message. I suddenly feel relieved that we have one of the truly greatest Presidents of all time amongst us to wrap his arms around America and keep her safe.
Thank you Mike Huckabee, I will always support you and America.
Dan Campbell
Sgt., USMC/USAF
Posted by: marinepatriot | January 4, 2008 1:59 AM
I was born in 1939, and Mike Huckabee's victory in Iowa tonight was the most spectacular political event in my lifetime. No one could be more deserving. Huckabee is the only candidate with the brains and the guts to save this country, and he will do with the help of millions of average men and women like myself.
Posted by: Andersod7 | January 4, 2008 12:56 AM
New media has a leveling effect on mass communication. Just as Kennedy rose to grace the TV screen and FDR the radio, these two candidates have effectively conveyed their honest-to-goodness humanity through broadband. As always, the medium is the message. Issues of the day are secondary.
Posted by: joyo8729 | January 4, 2008 12:42 AM
I'm so glad that Governor Huckabee beat slick Mitt and the club for greed folks. Governor Huckabee proved tonight elections are not about who has the most money, but about who has the best message and the creditability to see it through.
GO HUCKABEE
Posted by: McFox1 | January 4, 2008 12:38 AM
What happened in Iowa is a testament to stone ignorance...don't let yourself be one of them;
Candidate Research - Know Who You're Voting For
http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/entry/candidate_research_know_who_youre_voting_for/
Posted by: Winghunter | January 4, 2008 12:33 AM
Two things:
1. Perry Bacon is a hack, a la co-WP reporter John Solomon.
2. Huckabee caused the early release of a convicted rapist, who went on to rape and kill two more women, because one of the rapist's victims was a distant relative of Clinton.
Posted by: elroy1 | January 4, 2008 12:20 AM
Wow! What a shock! Perry Bacon Jr., the same Post reporter who likes to keep recycling lies about leading Dem candidates, writes a nice puff piece for the GOP candidate that just won Iowa. Hmm, no mention in the puff piece about the way Huckabee forced the Arkansas parole board to pardon a convicted rapist (who subsequently went on the rape and kill 2 more woman) just because the rapist's victim was a distant relative of Clinton.
What a charming leader you all have there, GOPers!
Posted by: elroy1 | January 4, 2008 12:17 AM
Congratulations Mike!
You are a really great role model for society! It goes to show tht integrity, honest, humbleness, charisma and a good sense of humor wins over wealthly establishments.
This was the real David and Goliath story. With your small stone and sling shot you knocked down the giant Romney.
This gives hope for so many Americans out there that have a dream to make it to the top but keep getting critized. You are a great role model for society, those who do good by good integrity, honesty and humbleness can win in life.
Your poll numbers are skyrocketing all over America. The American voters are thrilled you are running for President. They are excited about the hope for the country to take us from left vs. right to a new American spirit on higher ground.
Keep up the great work and congratulations!
Posted by: vote4mikehuckabee | January 3, 2008 11:51 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
Huckabee is a hick that uses Jesus to promote his candidacy. Hopefully the Republicans will see through it before it is too late.
And to the comment about this being the greatest political victory he has seen in his life. What about the landslide victory of Reagan? What was so great about a bunch of Evangelicals coming out not so much in support of a Baptist minister but in defiance of a MORMON!