York voters embrace rising star Huckabee

York voters embrace rising star Huckabee


Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was strolling down York’s Main Street last Tuesday wearing a huge grin on his face.

The Republican presidential hopeful was riding the crest of positive media stories following his better-than-expected showing in the Ames, Iowa, straw poll two weeks ago.

Today, Huckabee is a step closer to being a top-tier GOP presidential candidate, giving his campaign new energy and hope.

In York County, Republicans turned out in large numbers to greet the rising Republican star.

Many have been longing for a candidate — a true conservative — they could back with enthusiasm, and they weren’t happy with the top-tier candidates.

The top three — former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney — are all suspect, some S.C. Republicans think.

And the unhappy Republicans aren’t sure they can trust former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, expected to jump in the race after Labor Day.

Huckabee walked into the Palmetto Room on York’s Main Street, which was brimming with local Republicans anxious to see the new celebrity and hear what he had to say.

Huckabee wasn’t prepared for the raucous reception he got.

The York Republicans gave Huckabee a hero’s welcome. The applause and cheers were deafening, never seeming to end.

Buoyed by the response, Huckabee charmed his audience for the next 30 minutes with his jokes, down-home personality and resume.

Huckabee also let his listeners know he is a different kind of Republican, one who comes from humble beginnings — a working- class family. His interests and priorities are allied with working people, he said.

In an interview, Huckabee said if Republicans have any hope of winning the election, they have to reach out to voters outside the GOP. “We can’t win without our base (conservative Christians), and we can’t win if all we have is our base.”

Huckabee also said Republicans cannot win the presidency if the party’s interests are aligned more with Wall Street than Main Street.

“I’m convinced if we come across as a wholly owned subsidiary of Wall Street, we’re going to lose. We need to show that we are the party of Main Street America.

“And for that to happen, a candidate has to be somebody who has lived in a place more like York than New York.

“What voters are looking for is somebody they can unite around, and I think we have proven that we could be that candidate.”

Huckabee said his strong showing in Iowa has given his campaign new direction and promise. “People now return our phone calls.”

Huckabee also promised to work hard to win South Carolina’s GOP primary, adding it’s critical to his chances.

Mike Campbell, son of late Gov. Carroll Campbell, predicted the former Arkansas governor will win the GOP nomination.

“We’re going to nail down his nomination in South Carolina,” vowed Campbell, Huckabee’s state co-chairman.

The S.C. Republican primary — the first in the South — is set for January. No one ever has won the GOP nomination without first winning the Palmetto State contest.

“This ought to be about grass-roots,” Huckabee said of the type of campaign he hopes to run in South Carolina.

Since Ames, the Huckabee campaign has seen the number of its financial backers double. His Web site has seen an extra 3.2 million hits.

Ken Dortex, a York official and Huckabee supporter, said he thinks the former Arkansas governor is beginning to pick up S.C. primary voters. “It gets stronger every day.”

Betty and Dick Bartlett were sporting “We Like Mike” T-shirts at Huckabee’s York rally. They had driven from Charlotte to see the candidate. They also had sent out 100 e-mails to friends and neighbors urging them to attend the event.

“The Ames success has given us new life,” Huckabee said. “It certainly has changed the whole process for me.”

Bandy is a retired political writer who covered politics for The State for more than 40 years. Reach him at (803) 771-8648.

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