Huckabee leaves little doubt about 2016 bid

CEDAR RAPIDS - He didn't make a formal announcement, but Mike Huckabee left little doubt that he's in the race for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.

Not that there were many doubts before he addressed the Iowa Freedom Summit on Saturday in Des Moines and spent the better part of an hour signing copies of his new book - God, Guns, Grits and Gravy - at Barnes & Noble on Sunday afternoon in Cedar Rapids.

'The decision for me is getting closer all along and made very closer by the decision to leave Fox,” where he hosted a talk show, Huckabee said Sunday afternoon.

'Most people have a pretty good understanding that I didn't leave that wonderful job I had at Fox News just so I could spend Saturdays at home,” he told reporters. 'Clearly I'm moving in that direction and barring some unforeseen circumstance my anticipation is I will be see you guys a lot.”

An official announcement is likely to come this spring, the former Arkansas governor said, unless campaign donors and people who supported him in 2008 when he won the Iowa precinct caucuses tell him they are going in other directions.

'Let me just tell you that neither of those things have been happening so far,” he added.

Folks who started lining up about 1 p.m. for his 3 p.m. appearance encouraged Huckabee to run in 2016.

'I told him ‘Good luck,'” said Chuck Thornton of Cedar Rapids, who was buying a book for his son.

It was the third time Tim and Faye Grove of Fairfax have been to the bookstore to meet Huckabee.

'We love Gov. Huckabee. He shares our values,” Faye said.

'He's the ‘can man,' not the ‘cave man,'” Tim added.

Rob and Alissa Williams of Cedar Rapids are supporters, but Rob wouldn't encourage Huckabee to run.

'He won't make it,” Rob said. 'There's too much working against a traditional Christian candidate to win.”

Alissa thinks he would make an 'amazing president.”

'I told him if he runs, I'll vote for him,” she said.

Huckabee left little doubt that he will run, but also said the nomination battle will be a 'very spirited and competitive race.”

That bodes well for the GOP, he said.

'For those who think the Republican Party is dead, there was no indication of that” at the Freedom Summit where people stayed to listen to potential candidates for nearly 10 hours, Huckabee said. 'It had a strong pulse and strong blood pressure.”

Huckabee said he didn't see anyone or hear anything that would affect his decision, but was amazed that people stayed to hear him - the final speaker.

'I've heard me speak and I wouldn't have stayed that long,” he joked.