South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer endorsed Mike Huckabee for President, it was announced today. Bauer will join Huckabee as well as Former Governor David Beasley, State Chairman Mike Campbell , Chuck Norris, and Ric Flair on the campaign trail on Thursday. 

Bauer stated, "I, like many voters, have been previously undecided, but this election is too important to sit on the sidelines.  This week, I have decided to vote for Mike Huckabee, and I urge all South Carolinians to join me in voting for Mike Huckabee this Saturday. Simply put, I believe Mike Huckabee is the best of several fine candidates to lead America .  As America faces tough times, Mike Huckabee has the character, integrity, and proven leadership to ensure our greatest days are yet to come." 

"Also, I've tried to carefully compare each candidate's position as it relates to issues affecting senior citizens, and I've concluded that Mike Huckabee is a sound choice for senior citizens,"  Bauer said.  As Lt. Governor, Bauer heads the state's office on aging. 

Bauer also said he admires Huckabee's ability to win against the odds, noting that he, too, has a history of winning races considered to be upsets. 

"Nobody knows better than I do that it's the people, not the polls, which determines the winner on election day," Bauer said.  "I believe the fact that Mike Huckabee has stayed positive while others have waged negative campaigns against him, will sway undecided voters toward him.  I believe it speaks to his character." 

Huckabee stated, "I welcome Andre's support and am glad to have him on board Team Huckabee. I'm really pleased to have the support of a leader with such a solid record of achievement and a reputation for hard work and being a servant of the people, who shares my commitment to conservative governance."  

Bauer, who is serving his second term as South Carolina's Lieutenant Governor, has joined Mike Huckabee's leadership team in South Carolina, which already includes Former Governor David Beasley, United States Congressman Bob Inglis, State Chairman Mike Campbell and the family of Former Governor Carroll A. Campbell Jr., and numerous state legislators including Greenville State Senator David Thomas, Rex Rice, and Liston Barfield of Conway.

Source: MikeHuckabee.com

Baseball Legend and Sumter, SC native Bobby Richardson endorsed Mike Huckabee for President at a campaign rally at the Black River Electric Co-operative in Sumter, South Carolina on Tuesday.

Richardson stated, "As someone who always wore the number 1 on my jersey, I am here to let everyone know that Mike Huckabee is truly Number 1. I hope voters all across South Carolina hit a homerun on January 19th by voting for Mike Huckabee in the South Carolina Republican Primary."

Huckabee stated, "I am excited to have Bobby Richardson on my team and appreciate his support. As a lifelong baseball fan, I am truly proud to have the support of various baseball greats including Bob Feller and Bobby Richardson and urge all baseball fans and voters alike to join Bobby Richardson in voting on Saturday, January 19th."

Richardson, a seven-time All-Star and the 1960 World Series MVP won five Gold Gloves and three World Series rings while starring at Second Base for the New York Yankees. After hanging up his glove in 1966, Richardson coached baseball teams at Liberty University, Coastal Carolina University, and the University of South Carolina, where he led the Gamecocks to their first ever College World Series in 1975. Richardson is also a highly sought-after motivational speaker, is a national leader within the Fellowship for Christian Athletes and was a 1976 Republican nominee for Congress.

Source: MikeHuckabee.com

Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee has received the endorsement of "America's Outdoor Icon" Ray Scott.

Scott founded the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (BASS) in 1968 which became the world's largest fishing organization with over 500,000 members. The company was bought in 2001 by ESPN. He is also the founder of the Whitetail Institute of North America.

"I am pleased to have received the endorsement of Ray Scott – a legendary outdoorsman and conservationist. We share a passion for the outdoors and I was proud to be honored along with him recently in Outdoor Life as one of 25 individuals who've had the greatest positive impact on hunting and fishing.

"Ray has worked hard to ensure that Americans continue to enjoy their outdoor pastimes. Even more he has helped them understand their responsibility to protect and preserve their outdoor resources and to recognize their power to improve them. Not just for themselves but for future generations."

Affectionately known as the "Bass Boss," Scott's BASS organization changed the face of sport fishing forever with his creation of Bassmaster Magazine, professionally run fishing tournaments including the Bassmaster Classic, bass fishing TV shows, and affiliated BASS clubs which became his highly effective grassroots conservation "minutemen."

"I am really pumped about Huckabee's candidacy," says Scott. I've never been a one-issue voter and I won't start now, but it's sure exciting to have an authentic angler and hunter as a candidate. I was thrilled to fid out he's been a life member of BASS since 1996. Even more important, I'm inspired by his message of hope and prosperity and strength. Like a friend of mine said, he's the 'real deal' and I think more and more people are seeing that.

"I look forward to doing my part to see to it that Mike Huckabee becomes the next President of the United States."

John Stemberger, a leading voice in the conservative movement of Florida has switched his personal endorsement in the race for the Republican presidential nomination from former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson to former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

Stemberger will be co-chairing the Mike Huckabee Faith and Family Values Coalition for Florida, it was announced today after he informed the Thompson campaign of his decision.

"Governor Huckabee is without question the best candidate to breathe new life and fresh hope into a nation and its people who are fed up with scandal, corruption and big-money power politics. Mike Huckabee is a proven leader with executive experience and a solid record as a champion for pro-life and pro-family values, Stemberger said. "As a result, he has won the trust of more social conservative leaders across America than any other candidate. He has also proven that he is a viable candidate who can take us all the way home by winning both the primary and the general elections."

Stemberger is the founder of the Institute for Conservative Studies at Florida State University and has been one of the leading pro-life, pro-family advocates in Florida over the past 25 years. He was a lobbyist for Florida Right to Life and served as the Political Director for the Republican Party of Florida during the final campaign of former President George H.W. Bush.

"Like Ronald Reagan before him, Mike Huckabee can restore common sense conservative leadership to America both at home and abroad," Stemberger said. "He will re-envision us to once again become 'one nation, under God' while ensuring "liberty and justice for all.'"

Stemberger is a member of the Council for National Policy, the Arlington Group in Washington, D.C., and serves as the state chairman of Florida Marriage.org, the official sponsoring committee for the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment.

"John is a strong voice in the pro-life community. I welcome John's support and help in getting out my message that I have been a consistent voice for the right to life," Governor Huckabee said.

Governor Mike Huckabee was campaignin in Florida earlier this week when he picked up a surprise endorsement standing on a podium at Orlando Executive Airport.

Former state Sen. Dick Langley, who had been a co-chair of Romney's Florida campaign, ripped a Romney sticker off his lapel and replaced it with one of Huckabee's.

"I just couldn't figure out where Mitt stood," Langley said to applause from the crowd. "I had to have somebody that I could know where he stood, with the right values for this country and for a future for this country."

Source: PalmBeachPost.com

Govenor Mike Huckabee has received the endorsement from the Dallas Morning News supporting his candidacy for president.  Read the editorial endorsement below:

Many Republican voters are dissatisfied with the GOP presidential candidates this year. We share that frustration. But one of these men is going to be the party's nominee. Of this field, Mike Huckabee is the best choice.

It was a hard decision. In most respects, Mr. Huckabee, who governed Arkansas as a pragmatic, compassionate conservative, is not dramatically different from his main GOP competitors. He is somewhat better on energy and the environment, and though none of the Republicans are as forward-thinking about Iraq as they should be, Mr. Huckabee's emphasis on diplomatic engagement in the Middle East is fresh and welcome.

Mr. Huckabee established a respectable record of fiscal responsibility in Arkansas. Rather than run up deficits, he backed raising taxes to pay for needed infrastructure, health care and education. That's called prudence, and it was once a Republican virtue.

Mr. Huckabee is not an ideal candidate. Once a Bush-style Republican on immigration, his recent hard-right turn smells of opportunism. He too often wings it on foreign policy. But Govs. Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush also took office without foreign-policy experience. Much depends on the quality of a president's advisers. A chief executive's core foreign-policy convictions matter most, and on those, Mr. Huckabee is a standard conservative.

His religious conservatism, particularly his past rhetoric on women and gays, can be alarming. But religious conservatives aren't easily pigeonholed. A liberal Arkansas professor told The New York Times Magazine that Mr. Huckabee was a good governor. ''When he first came to office, people like me were worried about the religious aspect," she said. "And he is very orthodox on gays, guns and God. But he knows there's more than just these issues."

Indeed. Mr. Huckabee has a stout heart for working families and the poor, which as governor got him crossways with some Republicans. Though his strident criticism of free trade is misguided, the economically moderate Mr. Huckabee seems particularly attuned to the anxieties ordinary Americans face in this era of rapid change.

And he is one social conservative who's acutely aware of the call to racial healing. In 1997, when Little Rock Central High commemorated integration's 40th anniversary, Gov. Huckabee delivered a magnificent speech about race, justice and reconciliation that left many in the audience weeping.

It was a profound and profoundly moving address, and it revealed an unusual gift for leadership. Plain-spoken and eloquent, Mr. Huckabee strikes us as decent, principled and empathetic to the views and concerns of others – an antidote to the power-mad partisanship that has led U.S. politics to a dispiriting standstill.

"I'm a conservative," he likes to say. "I'm just not mad about it." Along those lines, what sold us on Mr. Huckabee is a sense that of all the Republicans, he is the change agent the nation most needs. John McCain, whose candidacy is quite appealing despite concern about his age and temperament, was arguably that man once. But his moment has passed.

America needs a clean break from the bitter politics of the recent past. From the right, Mike Huckabee, a progressive conservative with a pastor's heart, can deliver.

Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has named Florida Senate Majority Leader Daniel Webster and Speaker of the House Marco Rubio co-chairmen of his Florida campaign organization. "Senator Webster and Speaker Rubio are incredible assets to my Florida campaign," Huckabee said. "Both are esteemed legislators and have been exceptional leaders for the people of Florida ."

Webster is a former state House speaker who has become a nationally respected conservative politician during his 28 years in the legislature.  Rubio was elected Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives in November 2006. His book, 100 Innovative Ideas for Florida's Future, was compiled after Rubio traveled around Florida to gather ideas from citizens. This was done through what Rubio calls "Idearaisers."

Both these prominent legislators recently announced they were endorsing Governor Huckabee.  "Mike Huckabee is our best chance to have a Reagan Republican as our nominee," Rubio said. "For those of us who want the Republican Party to continue to be the party of life, of traditional family values and of limited government, Mike Huckabee is the best choice."

The announcement comes on the heels of the latest Rasmussen Florida poll on December 14, which had Huckabee in first place with 27 percent of the vote compared to Mitt Romney's 23 percent and Rudy Giuliani's 19 percent.

"I am honored to serve as co-chairman for Governor Huckabee's Florida Presidential campaign,"  Webster said. "Governor Huckabee is a principled, conservative leader who has proven he has the leadership qualities to be the next president of the United States . I intend to work diligently in the days and months ahead to ensure Governor Huckabee is elected as our nation's next president." The Florida presidential primary election is January 29.

Chuck Norris appeared with Governor Mike Huckabee on the Larry King Live show last night and explained the story behind his initial support of Mike Huckabee for President. Norris received an email from two teens telling him they were supporting Huckabee and encouraged Norris to check out the candidate. Norris saw the teen's website TheRebelution.com and was impressed, deciding to learn more about the Republican candidate at MikeHuckabee.com. Even though Norris is good friends with several of the other Republican candidates, he decided to support Huckabee based on his message and stances on the issues he represented.

Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee announced two key Florida Hispanic endorsements during a news conference in Miami today: House Speaker Marco Rubio and State Rep. David Rivera.

The announcement follows on the heels of the endorsement by another prominent Florida legislator, state Majority Leader Daniel Webster, who voiced his support for the governor on November 28.

Speaker Rubio is Florida's first Cuban-American state House Speaker.

"I'm honored to have the support from Speaker Rubio because we share the same conservative values," Huckabee said. "Everyone running for president wanted his endorsement. I'm glad he chose to join our efforts to seek the Republican nomination.

Rubio began serving Florida's 111th House District in 2000 and has served as a City Commissioner from West Miami. He is a conservative Republican who shares Huckabee's views on pro-life and strong families.

"For those of us who consider ourselves to be Reagan conservatives, Mike Huckabee is our best chance to win the nomination," Speaker Rubio said. "People are looking for genuineness and sincerity in politics. He has those qualities as well as the positive leadership skills needed to run our country."

Huckabee also received an endorsement from State Rep. David Rivera who serves Florida's 112th district, which includes Miami and parts of Naples and Fort Lauderdale. Rivera is chairman of the state House Rules Committee and is former director of the Hispanic Outreach for the Republican Party of Florida.

"Representative Rivera is a great leader and role model for Cuban-American citizens in Florida," Huckabee said. "I'm proud to have the backing from such a respected member of the Florida House."

"Governor Huckabee understands the importance of freedom and democracy for all people throughout our hemisphere and our world," Rivera said. "He is deserving of the support of Cuban- Americans like myself because he has articulated the most pro-active and bold policy geared toward hastening the demise of the Castro regime and promoting the cause of freedom and democracy in Cuba."

Senator Daniel Webster, a Republican member of the Florida state Senate since 1999 who has served as Majority Leader since 2006, has also endorsed Huckabee. Webster, who previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1981 to 1998, officially endorsed Huckabee earlier this year.

"I am honored to serve as co-chair for Governor Huckabee's Florida Presidential campaign. Governor Huckabee is a principled, conservative leader who has proven he has the leadership qualities to be the next president of the United States. As governor, he demonstrated the ability to tackle tough issues and find solutions. I intend to work diligently in the days and months ahead to ensure Governor Huckabee is elected as our nation's next President," said Webster.

In Iowa today, former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee received a major endorsement from Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project.
 
Huckabee said he was honored to receive the endorsement.  “No one can question Jim's commitment to this country and the immigration problem.  He has mobilized a group of volunteers to go to the border and draw attention to the issue of immigration.  All of us want a policy where people come to this country through the front door, not the back door,” said Huckabee during a morning news conference.
 
Gilchrist added, "Governor Huckabee actually wrote a plan that I can embrace.  I found his ‘Secure America’ plan would open the dialogue and help begin the process of solving the illegal immigration problem.”
 
Gilchrist, who founded the Minuteman Project in 2004, said he appreciated Huckabee’s plan to secure America ’s borders.
 
Last week, Huckabee unveiled “The Secure America Plan: A Nine-Point Strategy for Immigration Enforcement and Border Security.” Huckabee said he believes in adopting the best policy ideas to provide a “tough, equitable and comprehensive approach” to dealing with the current immigration crisis.

Huckabee said his goal is to implement a broad-based strategy that commits the resources of the federal government to the enforcement of our immigration laws and results in the attrition of the illegal immigrant population.
 
A 30-second television ad, called "Secure Borders," began airing in Iowa Monday to educate voters about Huckabee's call for a new immigration strategy, which begins with securing America 's borders.